BV  1310  .Y68  1911 
Young  Women's  Christian 

Association  of  the  U.S.A. 
Report  of  proceedings 


3(n&tanapnlt0,  Slnhtana 
April  13-24,  19U 


NATIONAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL 

OF  THE 

Young  Womens  Christian  Associations 
of  the   United   States  of  America 

3  Gramercy  Park,  New  York  City 

FOURTH  YEAR  OPENS  SEPTEMBER  27,  1911 


One  Year  Courses  in  Advanced  Work :  General  City  Course; 
General  Student  Course;  Industrial  and  Extension  Course; 
Course  for  Foreign  Secretaries. 

Two  Years  Course  For :  Religious  Work  Directors.  Provision 
made  for  graduate  work  for  Physical,  Domestic  Science  and 
Domestic  Arts  Directors. 

THE  CURRICULUM  INCLUDES: 

I.  THE  BIBLE.  Eighteen  required  and  elective  courses.  Old  Testament 
Prophecy,  The  Psalms,  The  Life  of  Christ,  The  Acts  and  Epistles,  Funda- 
mental Positions  of  the  Christian  Faith,  required  of  students  in  all  courses. 

IL  THE  ASSOCIATION  MOVEMENT.  History  and  Polity  of  the  Asso- 
ciation; Administration  of  City  and  Student  Associations;  Round  Tables 
on  the  Work  of  the  National  Departments;  Field  Work  with  Study  of 
Association  Problems. 

III.  PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY.  Courses  in  Public  Speaking,  including 
Voice  Training,  ParUamentary  Law  and  Preparation  of  Addresses, 
Records  and  Reports;  Personal,  Home  and  Community  Living. 

IV.  CHRISTIAN  AND  SOCIAL  TEACHING.  Nine  subjects  including 
Religious  Pedagogy,  Missions,  Comparative  Religions,  Hymnologj', 
Current  Movements,  Economics  and  Sociology. 

V.  ELECTIVES  OPEN  IN  GRADUATE  SCHOOLS. 


For  catalogue  of  the  National  Training  School  and  Training  Centers  address 

SECRETARIAL  DEPARTMENT 

NATIONAL  BOARD  OF  YOUNG  WOMENS  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATIONS 

125  E.  Twenty-seventh*  Street New  York  City 


Report  of  Proceedings 
Third   Biennial   Convention 

of 

The  Young  Womens  Christian  Associations 
of  the  United  States  of  America 


Indianapolis,   Indiana 

April  19-34,  1911 


^KRY  OF  FW.^^^ 
SEP    1 1  1992 


National  Board 

of  The  Young  Womens  Christian  Associations 

of  the  United  States  of  America 

125  East  27th  Street 

New  Yoric 


INDEX 

PAGE 

Officers   and   Members  of  the   National  Board 4 

Secretaries   of   the   National   Board 6 

Third    Biennial    Convention    . 7 

Urgency  of  the  Present  Opportunity  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation.     Miss    Frances    C.    Gage 8 

Friendship's   Demand   for  Prayer.     Rev.  Harry  Emerson   Fosdick     .         .         .     i6 

Resolutions    Governing   Conduct   of   Business 24 

Convention    Committees 24 

The  World's  Work.     Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton 25 

The  Exultant  Joy  of  Christianity.     Rev.  John  Henry   Strong    .         .         .         -30 

Reports   of   Territorial    Committees 34 

Report  of  Committee  on  Basis  for  Support 63 

Recommendations  Based  on  Basis  for  Support 68 

The   Problem   of   Praise.     Rev.   John   Henry  Strong 77 

Report  of  Committee  on  Investigation  of  Work  of  Immigrant  Girls         .         .     81 
Immigration  Work  in  New  York  City.     Miss  Edith  B.  Terry    .         .         .         .85 

Immigration   Work    in    Chicago.      Miss    Grace   Abbott 88 

Facing  the   Facts  of  Life.     Rev.   Henry   Churchill   King 94 

The  Joy  of  Service.     Dr.  Wilfred  T.  Grenfell loi 

Recommendations    of   the    National    Board 107 

Christ's   Gift  of  Himself.     Rev.  John  Henry  Strong 121 

Informal  Talk  to   Girls.     Miss   Grace   H.   Dodge 126 

The  Natural  Religious  Life.     Bishop  Edwin   H.   Hughes 127 

Report   of    Committee    on   Resolutions 132 

Recommendations  of  the   National  Board,  continued 133 

Report    of    Nominating    Committee 137 

Discussion   of   Basis   for   Support 137 

Report   of   Credential    Committee 139 

Travelers'   Aid   Work.      Prof.   Jeremiah   Jenks 140 

Prayer.      Rev.   John    Henry    Strong 151 

Report    of    Nominating    Committee 155 

The    World's    Committee    as    a    Pioneer    and    Unifying    Force.      Miss    Ethel 

Stevenson I57 

The  Work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  in   Great  Britain. 

Miss    Grace   Tottenham 160 

The    Work    of    the    French   Young   Women's    Christian    Association.      Mile. 

Suzanne    Bidgrain 163 

The  Association  in  India.     Miss  Mary  B.  Hill 167 

The  Association  in  Japan.     Miss  Caroline  Macdonald 170 

Some  Things  to  be  Desired  in  the  Christianity  of  To-day.     Mr.  Robert  E. 

Speer 176 

List    of    Delegates 185 


NATIONAL   BOARD   OF   THE   YOUNG   WOMENS   CHRIS- 
TIAN  ASSOCIATIONS   OF   THE    UNITED    STATES 
OF  AMERICA, 

125  East  Twenty-seventh  Street,  New  York  City. 

OFFICERS 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge,  President. 

Mrs.  James  S.  Cushman,  First  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  R.  C.  Jenkinson,  Second  Vice-President. 

Mrs.  William  W.  Rossiter,  Secretary. 

Mrs.  Samuel  J.  Broadwell,  Treasurer. 

Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds,  Chairman  Department  of  Field  Work. 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge,  Chairman  Secretarial  Department. 

Miss  Gertrude  MacArthur,  Chairman  Department  Conventions  and  Conferences. 

Mrs.  Fred  M.  Gilbert,  Chairman  Publication  Department. 

Mrs.  Samuel  J.  Broadwell,  Acting  Chairman  Finance  Department. 

Mrs.  G.  K.  Swinburne,  Chairman  Office  Department. 

Mrs.  James  S.  Cushman,  Chairman  Department  of  Method. 

Mrs.   Clarence  M.   Hyde,   Chairman  Association  Extension  Committee. 

Mrs.    Charles  N.  Judson,   Chairman  City  Committee. 

Mrs.   Robert  E.   Speer,  Chairman  Student  Committee. 

Mrs.  Thomas  S.  Gladding,  Chairman  Foreign  Department. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    BOARD 


Expirations,  1913 
Miss  Annie  Reynolds. 
Mrs.  R.  C.  Jenkinson. 
Mrs.  Robert  Speer. 
Mrs.  Henry  W.  Green. 
Mrs.  Irwin  Rew. 
Mrs.  J.  B.  Richardson. 
Mrs.  Augustus  Wadsworth. 
Mrs.  L.  Wilbur  Messer. 
Mrs.  John  R.  Mott. 
Mrs.  John  J.  McCook. 
Mrs.  Lemuel  Call  Barnes. 
Mrs.  James  Speers. 
Miss  Leila  S.  Frissell. 


Expirations,  191 5 
Mrs.  James  S.  Cushman. 
Mrs.  Samuel  J.  Broadwell. 
Mrs.  Clarence  M.  Hyde. 
Mrs.  Charles  N.  Judson. 
Mrs.  Thomas  S.  Gladding. 
Mrs.  R.  A.  Dorman. 
Mrs.  John  French. 
Miss  Helen  Gould. 
Miss  Gertrude  MacArthur. 
Mrs.  James  Pedersen. 


Expirations,  1917 
Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge. 
Mrs.  Stephen  Baker. 
Mrs.  William  W.  Rossiter. 
Mrs.  Edward  S.  Campbell. 
Miss  Maude  Daeniker. 
Mrs.  Samuel  J.  Murtland. 
Mrs.  Seabury  C.  Mastick. 
Mrs.  Fred  M.  Gilbert. 
Mrs.  Dave  H.  Morris. 
Mrs.  G.  K.  Swinburne. 


Officers  of  the  National  Board 


STATE    AND    TERRITORIAL    REPRESENTATIVES 


Expirations,  191 1 
Mrs.  E.  P.  Allan. 
Mrs.  R.  H.  Baker. 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Burwell. 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Hoskins. 
Miss  Helen  Keep. 
Mrs.  Frank  Lindsay. 
Mrs.  J.  L.  Pennock. 
Mrs.  S.  S.  Salisbury. 
Miss  Flora  Shank. 
Miss  Helen  Taylor. 


Expirations,  191 3 
Miss  Mildred  Lewis  Rutherford. 
Mrs.  Lathan  A.  Crandall. 


BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES 

OFFICERS 

Mr.  Alfred  E.  Marling,  Chairman. 
Mr.  William  D.  Murray,  Secretary. 
Mr.  William  M.  Kingsley,  Treasurer. 


MEMBERS    OF    THE    BOARD 

Expirations,  1911  Expirations,  1915 

Miss  Helen  Gould.  Mr.  Alfred  E.  Marling. 

Mr.  William  M.  Kingsley.  Mr.  Stephen  Baker. 

Mr.  Charles  A.  Schieren.  Mrs.  Clarence  M.  Hyde. 


Expirations,  1916 
Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge. 
Mr.  Samuel  Sloan,  Jr. 
Mr.  William  D.  Murray. 


SECRETARIES    OF    THE    NATIONAL    BOARD    OF    THE    YOUNG 
WOMENS   CHRISTIAN   ASSOCIATIONS 

Mabel  Cratty,  General  Secretary 
Louise  C.  Schrote,  Social  Secretary 

DEPARTMENT  OF   FIELD   WORK 
Theresa  Wilbur,  Executive 
Henrietta  Roelofs,  Special  Worker 
Katharine  H.  Scott,  Office 


Territorial  Committees 
California.  Arizona  and  Nevada 
Carolyn  L.  Patch,  Executive 
Helen  Salisbury,  Student 
Rose  Smith,  Office  and  City 

Delaware,  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania 
Margery  J.  Moore,  Executive 

,  Student 

Mary  Johns  Hopper,  Industrial 

Northeastern 
Helen  A.  Davis,  Executive 
Sara  B.  Mathews,  Assistant  Executive 
Sarah  C.  Wells,  City 
Mary  Corbett,  Student 
—  • — ,  Stttdent 

Ernestine  Friedman,  Industrial 
A.  Lou  Wiggins,  Office 


Northwestern 
Frances  Gage,  Executive 
♦Elizabeth  Fox,  Student 
Winifred  Myers,  Office 

West  Central 

(Provisional) 
Miss  Henrietta  Roelofs,  Acting  Executive 
Mrs.  Lester  McLean,  Jr.,  Student 
Mrs.  John  Parker  Wise,  Student 
Miss  Ruth  Ragan,  Office 

SECRETARIAL   DEPARTMENT 
Elizabeth  Wilson,  Executive 
Caroline  B.  Dow,  Dean  of  Training  System 
Julia  Russel,  Assistant  to  Dean 
Edith    N.    Stanton,    Office    Executive,    Director 

Bureau  of  Reference 
Helen  Sanger,  Business,  Training  School 

FINANCE   DEPARTMENT 
Augusta  Brown,  Executive 
Angeline  Hart,  Office 
Jessie  MacKanlay,  Cashier  and  Bursar 

DEPARTMENT  OF  CONVENTIONS  AND 

CONFERENCES 
Mabel  Cratty,  Acting  Executive 
Louise  W.  Brooks,  Student 
Emma  Hays,  City 
Lois  J,  Vie\6,  Office 

PUBLICATION   DEPARTMENT 
Mary  Louise  Allen,  Executive 
Helen  Thobum,  Office 

OFFICE  DEPARTMENT 
Margaret  F.  MacKinlay,  Executive 

(Secretaries  listed  under  departments) 

FOREIGN  DEPARTMENT 
Harriet  Taylor,  Executive 
Susan  M.  Clute,  Office 

*  Appointment  to  take 


OF  THE  National  Board 

North  Central 
Mrs.  Emma  Byers,  Executive 
Nettie  E.  Trimble,  City 
Maude  Corbett,  Student 

.  Student 

Eva  Morris,  Student 
Margaret  O'Coimell.  County 
Frances  Crittenden,  Office 


South  Central 
Mary  McElroy,  Executive 

,  City 

Virginia  Sinclair,  Student 
Myra  Withers,  Student 

,  Student 

Sally  Foster,  Office 


Ohio  and  West  Virginia 
Elizabeth  Hughes,  Executive 
♦Mabel  Stone,  Student 
Van  S.  Lindsley,  Office 

Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina 
Anna  D.  Casler,  Executive 
Claris  Crane,  Student 
Lois  A.  Neel,  Office 

DEPARTMENT   OF    METHOD 

Louise  S.  Holmquist,  Executive 
Blanche  Gear>',  Economic  Work 
Elizabeth  Boies,  Office  Executive 

Association  Extension  Committee 
Helen  F.  Barnes,  Rural  Work 
Lillian  L.  Long,  Mill  Villages 
Edith  Baldwin  Terry,  Immigration  Work 
Florence  Simms,  Industrial  Work 
Anna  Seaburg,  Office 

City  Committee 
Anna  L.  Brown,  Physical  Education  and  Hy- 
giene 
Helen  L.  Thomas,  Educational 
Mary  Bushnell,  Special  Worker,  Religious  Work 
Gertrude  Griffith,  Special  Worker,  Junior  Work 
Elizabeth  Boies,  Office 

Student  Committee 
Eliza  R.  Butler,  Private  Secondary  Schools 
Bertha  Cond^,  Professional  Schools 
Ethel  Cutler,  Religious  Work 
Edith  M.  Dabb.  Indian  Schools 
Cecelia    Holloway,    Special     Worker,    Colored 

Schools 
Mabel  T.  Everett,  Office 
effect  September,  191 1. 


THE  THIRD  BIENNIAL  CONVENTION 

Indianapolis,  Indiana,  April  J  9-24,  19  H 

Wednesday  Afternoon 

The  Third  Biennial  Convention  came  to  order  at  two  o'clock,  Mrs. 
William  S.  Slocum,  President  of  the  last  Biennial  Convention,  in  the  Chair. 
After  the  devotional  exercises  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Frederick  E.  Taylor, 
greetings  of  the  Indianapolis  Association  were  extended  by  the  President, 
Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan.  Mrs.  Buchanan  said  that  the  delightful  work  of 
preparing  for  the  Convention  had  shown  the  women  of  Indianapolis  the 
difference  between  working  for  and  working  with  people,  and  had  given 
the  inspiration  of  personal  friendship. 

The  response  was  made  by  Miss  Grace  H,  Dodge,  the  President  of 
the  National  Board.  Miss  Dodge  thanked  the  twenty  committees  who  had 
worked  under  Mrs.  Buchanan  as  well  as  the  able  President  and  the  citi- 
zens of  Indianapolis,  including  the  students,  and  the  girls  in  stores  and 
factories  who  had  helped  to  make  cordial  the  welcome  offered. 

The  Chair  appointed  as 

CREDENTIAL    COMMITTEE 

Chairman,  Mrs.  H.   E.  Whitaker,  Detroit. 
Executive,  Miss  Helen  F.  Barnes,  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  E.  P.  Cator,  Baltimore. 

Miss  Neva  Chappell,  Los  Angeles. 

Mrs.  I.  H.  C.  Royse,  Terre  Haute. 

NOMINATING    COMMITTEE 

Chairman,  Miss  James  Lyman,  Illinois. 

Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Sherrard,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Mrs.  C.  T.  Upton,  Lowell,  Mass. 

Mrs.  R.  F.  Piatt,  Wichita,  Kansas. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Bruchholz,  University  of  Minnesota. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  New  York  City. 


8  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Following  was  an  address  by  Miss  Frances  C.  Gage,  Executive  Sec- 
retary of  the  Northwest  Territorial  Committee,  on : 

THE  URGENCY  OF  THE  PRESENT  OPPORTUNITY  OF  THE  YOUNG 
WOMENS    CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION 

"What  do  you  suppose  God  thinks  of  us?"  It  was  a  child's  voice.  She  had 
just  entered  the  day  coach  of  a  Western  train  with  the  big  sister  who  sat  down 
with  her  in  the  seat  in  front  of  me.  And  then  I  noticed  that  they  were  freshly 
gowned;  it  was,  evidently,  an  important,  possibly  a  first  journey. 

I  smiled  at  the  ingenuous  remark  and  then,  not  because  the  wish  was  a  strange 
one,  nor  because  it  was  evident  that  seemingly  small  things  were  of  great  import 
to  the  pair,  but  because  the  suggestion  was  vital — the  thought  held  me,  and  I 
heard  again  a  man's  voice  in  prayer  as  he  sent  his  daughter  on  a  mission: 
"  O  Lord,  it  must  have  been  a  great  thing  to  live  in  the  days  when  God  fought 
for  men  as  God  the  Father.  It  must  have  been  a  greater  thing  to  live  in  the 
days  when  God  walked  with  men  as  God  the  Son.  It  is  a  far  greater  thing  to 
live  in  the  days  when  God  dwells  in  men  as  God  the  Spirit.  Help  us  to  know 
when  he  speaks  to  us  of  righteousness,  whether  in  the  spirit  of  the  Times,  or 
through  the  increasing  Knowledge  of  Law,  or  through  the  Still  Small  Voice. 

It  is  this  message  I  bring  to  you  as  an  introduction  to  the  presentation  of  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  with  emphasis  upon  the  Spirit's  guidance 
in  our  past  and  his  urgency  in  the  present.  It  is  this  for  which  we  all  must 
chiefly  listen  before  action.  It  is  this  for  which  the  spheres  pause  in  the  echoes 
of  their  music,  before  the  birth  of  the  great  movements  which  stamp  the  ages. 

My  first  impulse,  as  I  look  ourselves  in  the  face,  is  simply  to  wish  I  did  know 
what  God  thinks  of  us.  But  the  wish — a  child's  thought — dies  under  the  stimu- 
lant of  the  man's.  It  is  our  business  to  know.  This  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  the 
dispensation  in  which  we  live. 

The  Spirit  has  met  man's  development  in  various  ways,  helping  him  to  in- 
terpret God  in  action  best  understood  by  the  times  in  which  he  lived. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  highest  type  of  Christianity  was  held  to  be  the 
mystic  who  lived  apart  from  the  world  in  prayer.  It  was  the  time  when  men  had 
to  wait  long  to  know  truth,  when  crowds  must  be  carried  in  civics,  in  ethics  and 
religion. 

There  was  a  time  when  Christianity  was  best  understood  when  it  was  em- 
bodied in  those  who  died  for  it.  It  was  a  time  when  men  were  rising  out  of  the 
crowd  in  individualism. 

There  was  a  time  when  those  men  were  the  best  Christians  who  went  on  long 
journeys  with  pomp  and  panoply  and  pride  and  fought  for  the  high  places  of  our 
faith.  It  was  a  time  when  great  feudal  estates  had  created  idle  gentlemen  who 
needed  the  stimulant  of  high  purpose  for  their  errantry. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  words  that  define  our  faith  were  of  more  import 
than  the  faith  itself,  and  men  created  new  churches,  so  called,  to  embody  their 
belief  and  the  vision  the  Spirit  had  given  them.     It  was  the  time  when  printing 


Miss  Frances  C.  Gage  9 

was  breaking  down  the  bonds  of  tradition  and  men  were  thinking  for  themselves, 
often  wrong,  yet  under  the  Spirit's  guidance. 

We  live  in  none  of  these  times. 

It  were  a  pity  should  we  lose  what  the  monk  knew  and  bequeathed  to  the 
world.  It  were  an  equal  pity  if  the  martyr's  or  the  crusader's  or  the  reformer's 
gift  to  truth  were  left  out  of  present-day  Christianity;  but  to-day,  with  railroads 
binding  nation  to  nation,  and  shafts  connecting  the  bowels  of  the  earth  with  its 
mountain  tops,  and  artificial  waterways  uniting  the  upper  and  nether  springs 
with  the  waste  places,  and  "  success,"  "  fair  chance,"  "  progress,"  "  education," 
"  practical  ability,"  "  returns,"  "  life,"  "  life,"  "  life,"  the  watchwords  of  the  times, 
the  man  who  is  the  best  Christian  is  the  man  who  does  things  better  than  anyone 
else ;  that  movement  is  the  best  exponent  of  Christianity  which  does  better  than  any 
other  the  things  which  the  people  need  in  order  to  bring  them  fullness  of  life, 
that  nation  is  counted  the  most  Christian  which,  in  most  practical  ways,  solves 
the  complex  problems  of  its  citizens  toward  liberty,  equality,  fraternity,  eternity 
— and  the  Spirit  of  God  is  in  it. 

Our  own  citizens  are  demanding  this  of  the  Church.  Europe  is  sending  its 
disappointed  crowds  to  us  daily  with  one  great  question  on  their  lips.  The  Orient 
is  only  waiting  to  find  the  answer  to  this  one  query  before  accepting  our  Christ. 
"Did  his  coming  bring  us  life  abundant?"  This  is  the  word  the  Spirit  of  God 
is  saying  to  the  world  through  the  spirit  of  the  times  and  the  Association  has 
come  to  answer  it.  This  is  the  commission  of  our  movement.  We  could  not  help 
but  be.  In  the  fullness  of  time  we  came  to  fulfill  his  word.  The  Church,  his 
body,  needs  us  to  act.  The  urgency  of  our  opportunity  lies  not  in  the  need  in  the 
world  nor  in  the  fraud,  nor  in  the  incompetency,  nor  the  ignorance,  nor  the  suffer- 
ing, nor  the  crime,  nor  the  idleness,  nor  the  vice.  All  these  have  always  been,  but 
in  that  the  demand  of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the  Christianity  of  the  times  is  that 
these  facts  shall  be  cured  by  Christians.  I  count  it  an  important  witness  to  our 
organization's  right  to  live  that  even  our  motto  interprets  the  spirit  of  the  times. 
I  count  it  a  greater  witness  to  our  right  to  continue  that  at  the  very  beginning  of 
our  entering  into  full  estate,  our  first  move  was  toward  an  investigation  of  things 
as  they  are,  both  in  the  world  and  in  our  Association,  and  that  the  second  move 
was  toward  the  establishment  of  a  department  of  method  which  should  be  able 
to  give  us  the  knowledge  and  the  experience  of  specialists  in  the  way  to  do 
things  best. 

The  Association  has  ever  stood  for  four  experiences  as  vital  to  satisfy- 
ing being:  good  health  and  good  time,  a  good  mind,  and  eternal  life,  all  these 
being  axiomatically  founded  upon  good  morals  and  pinnacled  in  faith  in  Christ. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  the  emphasis  that  has  been  placed  on  these  rights  of  citizen- 
ship. In  early  Association  buildings  the  primitive  needs  of  membership  were 
met  first,  and  the  ideal  Secretary  was  a  matron.  Soon  meeting-places  or  audi- 
ence rooms  were  provided,  and  the  ideal  Secretary  was  a  preacher,  and  the  peo- 
ple were  asked  to  hold  up  their  hands.  Then  the  audience  rooms  grew  of  less  im- 
portance and  lobby  or  parlors  emphasized.  The  ideal  Secretary  was  a  good  mixer, 
and    the    social    side    of    the    Association    was    emphasized.      Then    we    became 


10  Third  Biennial  Convention 

aware  that  young  people  were  more  prone  to  spend  their  time  than  to  use  it, 
and  class  rooms  increased  in  importance,  and  the  ideal  Secretary  became  a  teacher. 
Then  we  observed  that  large  numbers  of  women  could  not,  or  would  not,  prob- 
ably because  they  should  not,  come  to  the  Association  building,  and  all  these 
provisions  for  fuller  life  were  taken  to  them  in  about  the  same  order.  We  call 
it  extension,  and  the  ideal  Secretary  became  a  promoter.  It  were  a  pity  to  lose 
any  of  these  methods,  but  now  we  are  reaching  another  stage,  and  we  find  offices 
larger,  more  numerous  and  better,  and  groups  of  key  people  are  always  meeting 
there  to  be  trained  for  service,  and  the  ideal  Secretary  has  become,  what  do  you 
call  it?  "A  Social  Engineer,"  and  every  member  of  the  Association  is  on  the 
staflF.  There  is  nothing  more  inspiring  to  a  worker  in  any  line  of  work  than 
to  know  that  the  organization  through  which  she  is  working  is  moving  along 
universal  lines,  and  each  advance  has  been  a  vital  one.  This  development  in 
emphasis  and  method  has  been  of  this  description. 

Again  the  memory  of  my  little  maid  comes  to  me,  for  she  seems  representative. 
I  am  sure  she  had  been  given  good  ancestors.  This  has  ever  been  an  important 
part  of  the  divine  plan.  The  Levite  father  and  mother  of  Moses,  the  Prophets 
who  were  Elijah's  teachers,  Joshua  and  Moses  who  interpreted  God  to  the  Children 
of  Israel.  All  this  has  ever  been  cause  of  thanksgiving.  Do  you  know  the  third 
evidence  of  the  Spirit's  guidance  in  our  movement  seems  to  me  to  be  that  we 
have  been  exceedingly  well  brought  up.  If  anything  I  could  say  could  add  to 
the  joy  of  the  women  who  were  on  the  Boards  of  Directors  in  our  adolescent  days, 
or  were  Secretaries  in  the  beginnings  of  things,  how  gladly  I  would  say  it.  I 
cannot.  Their  works  do  follow  them.  The  place  in  which  we  stand  to-day,  in 
which  we  have  the  privilege  of  entering  -with  favor  almost  any  avenue  of  service 
we  will,  is  due  to  the  wonderful  way  in  which  they  knew  God's  plans  and  laid 
the  foundation  for  our  evolutionary  growth.  It  is,  however,  important  to  note 
that  to  which  this  leads. 

Every  world  force  starts  with  leaders,  and  we  may  call  the  first  period  of 
its  life  the  leader's  age.  Certain  names  stand  out  as  those  who  have  left  their 
mark  on  the  character  of  the  force  itself  and  on  every  individual  within  its  sweep. 
Battles  are  fought  and  won,  issues  are  met  and  absorbed,  principles  are  estab- 
lished by  individuals,  that  will  never  greatly  change.  It  has  been  so  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  church  and  the  state.  It  has  been  so  with  us.  The  next  era  has  al- 
ways been  that  of  organization,  because  only  so  could  economy,  force,  and 
permanency  be  combined.  This  has  been  the  time  of  setting  up  of  nations,  of 
working  out  laws  and  charters.  It  is  the  period  we  are  now  completing.  (May 
ours  be  a  magna  charta.)  Individualism  has  been  buried  and  then  used.  Favor- 
ite ideals  have  been  used  and  methods  discarded.  Experts  from  other  fields  of 
life  have  come  to  us  and  helped  us  get  our  relations  and  our  visions.  Some 
nations  have  disintegrated  at  this  period.  Some  never  entered  it,  and  some  have 
never  gone  through  to  the  reward  it  brings,  because  small  principalities  would 
not  be  a  part  of  a  larger  whole,  or  because  individuals  could  not  give  up  pet 
theories,  or  because,  when  the  end  could  not  be  seen,  the  beginning  was  not 
trusted.     This   period   must   always   be   short   and   professional.     It   calls   for   the 


Miss  Frances  C.  Gage  11 

characteristics  that  are  counted  greatest,  vision,  adaptability,  faith,  loyalty,  sacri- 
fice; and  brings  a  proportionate  reward  both  to  individuals  and  to  movements. 
At  the  end  of  this  session  of  our  organization,  v?e  shall  know  what  this  era  will 
bring  to  us,  for  the  making  of  things  permanent  is  to  be  settled  here  by  us  to- 
gether— but  we  know  the  issue  now,  no  wiser  leadership  was  ever  given,  no  braver 
or  more  loyal  constituency  could  be  found.  We  do  credit  to  our  bringing  up  "  and 
we  bring  you  good  tidings  of  the  promise  "  for  the  future. 

It  is  witness  to  the  wisdom  of  a  master  that  even  before  we  step  out  from 
this  era  we  hear  the  rustle  of  a  third.  The  third  era  in  the  evolution  of  every 
great  movement,  is  the  raising  to  importance  of  the  individual,  and  before  we 
knew  it  we  were  upon  this  period,  not  only  in  method  of  work  as  noted  under 
the  last  head,  but  in  the  fact  of  the  overwhelming  presence  of  the  girl.  We  are 
no  longer  asking,  "How  shall  we  get  the  girl?"  The  girl  is  here.  She  is  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  We  realize  this  when  we  discover  that 
our  membership  has  increased  a  full  third  in  four  years.  We  no  longer  organize 
from  a  Board  of  Directors,  or  from  the  burdened  heart  of  one  woman  who  yearns 
for  a  daughter  sent  into  the  world  alone.  We  start  with  crowds  of  girls — so 
many,  the  problem  is  not  how  to  get  them,  but  how  to  use  them.  Again  we  have 
a  right  to  believe  our  movement  permanent  because  it  moves  along  the  lines  of 
universal  growth.  We  have  come  here  to-day  to  make  this  organization  so  strong 
that  we  can  go  away  and  leave  it  and  be  sure  that  it  will  run,  in  order  that  the 
Association  may  be  able  to  use  and  serve  this  crowd  of  young  women.  How 
interesting  that,  just  as  we  recognize  a  social  engineer  in  the  secretary,  and  the 
eager  desire  for  work  on  the  part  of  our  membership,  we  hear  of  Big  Sister  move- 
ments, of  Little  Sister  circles,  of  Girl  Guides,  and  Club  Councils.  And  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  in  it! 

It  is  plain  to  see  that  along  whatever  path  we  follow  the  development  of 
our  Association  movement,  we  come  to  the  same  urgent  issue  for  the  present. 

In  the  beginning  of  our  history,  it  would  seem  we  simply  did  things  that  peo- 
ple wanted,  things  that  were  needed,  things  that  came  to  hand  to  do,  without 
always  definite  thought  that  doing  them  was  a  worthy  end  to  action.  They  were 
looked  upon  as  a  means  to  a  greater  end — Conversion ;  and  the  Church  looked 
upon  us  as  not  having  fulfilled  any  worthy  function  until  this  result  was  tabulated. 
Far  be  it  from  me  to-day  to  minimize  in  any  way  the  vital  necessity  of  this  great 
experience.  It  is  the  only  illuminating  and  saving  experience  of  life,  but  its 
relationship  to  the  various  functions  of  life  is  not  always  well  taken,  for  the 
world  has  gone  a  step  farther  than  it  had  even  half  a  century  ago  in  its  knowl- 
edge of  God's  plan,  and  we  know  that  we  must  do  the  things  that  are  needed 
because  they  are  needed,  and  that  this  is  demanded  of  converted  Christians  to-day 
with  an  urgency  that  is  not  always  understood. 

The  young  woman  who  does  not  know  how  to  guide  her  maids  or  to  prop- 
erly keep  her  house,  as  the  case  may  be,  is  criticized  for  her  Christianity  or  lack 
of  it.  The  mistress  who  does  not  provide  a  decent  living  place  for  those  who 
help  her,  or  pay  living  wage  is  less  a  Christian.  The  careless  spender  of 
money   or   health   or    love    or    time   or    words    or    effort,    if    he    is   called    by   the 


12  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Christian  name,  is  questioned  as  to  the  reality  of  his  experience  in  no  whispered 
tones.  Righteousness  is  a  term  which  covers  citizenship,  and  Christianity  is  ex- 
pected to  be  righteous.  It  is  the  hardest  demand  that  has  ever  been  made  upon 
religion,  and  when  the  Association,  therefore,  is  undertaking  to  become  the  great 
unsectarian  institutional  church,  it  has  entered  into  a  timely  inheritance,  and  one 
so  urgent  as  to  be  almost  painful. 

The  world  has  discovered  all  at  once  that  it  is  a  great  bother  to  live  with 
other  people,  and  the  problem  of  Christianity  is  to  discover  how  it  can  be  worked 
out.  Not  saved  by  works,  but  saved  to  works  is  the  cry  of  the  time.  The  way 
we  have  met  this  in  the  last  years  has  been  almost  phenomenal.  May  I  again  point 
to  the  work  of  our  department  of  method  as  bearing  most  emphatically  upon 
this  point? 

Our  Physical  Departments  are  no  longer  merely  gymnasiums  in  which  valu- 
able exercise  and  relaxation  may  be  gained.  They  are  influences  toward  health 
on  all  sides — protective,  developing,  and  conserving.  Our  educational  depart- 
ment is  not  content  to  ask,  "Will  girls  come?"  "Will  it  pay?"  "Will  it  be  good 
for  them?"  but  are  asking,  "What  is  our  righteous  relation  to  public  night  schools, 
business  colleges,  or  the  professions  which  have  been  developed  by  nurses,  doc- 
tors, crafts  women,  etc.?"  Lunch  rooms  are  not  merely  opened  because  they  are 
demanded  and  make  money,  but  their  relation  in  righteousness  to  the  man  who 
supports  his  family  from  the  profits  of  the  restaurant  next  door,  is  of  urgent  im- 
portance, and  the  price  of  rooms  is  not  determined  merely  by  the  salary  of  the 
young  women  who  live  in  them,  but  by  the  money  value,  to  the  city,  of  the  prop- 
erty used  and  by  the  moral  effect  on  womanhood  if  incompetency  in  employes  or 
avarice  in  employer  is  provided  for  Boards  of  Directors  are  not  content  to  expect 
Secretaries  to  work  overtime  or  make  the  largest  yearly  contribution  to  the  Asso- 
ciation budget  when  they  accept  inadequate  salaries,  because  all  these  things 
the  Spirit  of  God  has  taught  us  are  not  trifles,  and  Christianity  is  being  interpreted 
to-day  by  righteousness. 

We  precede  the  organizations  and  the  beginnings  of  new  departments  by 
"  Know  your  City  Campaigns,"  and  "  Studies  of  the  Local  Field,"  that  work  may 
not  be  duplicated  and  real  needs  be  met.  Some  of  the  facts  that  have  been  dis- 
covered in  the  progress  of  investigation  are  interesting.  In  the  artificial  relation- 
ships of  life,  school,  factory,  shop,  office,  and  mill,  there  are  more  than  ten  million 
young  women.  Most  people  are  either  plus  or  minus  in  their  development.  About 
twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  young  people  between  five  and  eighteen  are  minus  on 
the  side  of  education.  Only  about  seventy-five  per  cent  being  in  school  at  all  and 
ninety-five  per  cent  leave  school  after  the  elementary  grades  are  past.  Only  four 
per  cent  being  found  in  the  secondary  schools  and  one  per  cent  in  the  high-school 
grades. 

As  an  example  of  the  way  that  the  Association  is  meeting  this  fact,  and 
the  appreciation  of  it  in  the  lives  of  these  same  young  people,  it  was  found  in  cer- 
tain sections  of  the  country  that  there  were  more  individuals  enrolled  in  classes 
in  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  than  in  all  the  state  institutions  of 
the  same  district,  and  young  people  employed  in  almost  every  vocation  were  found 


Miss  Frances  C.  Gage  13 

in  the  classes.     More  than  half  of  them  had  left  school   during  the  high  school 
period  and  five-sixths  of  the  rest  had  not  completed  the  secondary  school  stage. 

More  than  two  million  of  these  women  are  in  industrial  centers,  stores,  fac- 
tories, laundries.  In  New  York  forty-seven  per  cent  of  the  wage-earning  women 
work  in  factories  at  $6.00  a  week.  In  Chicago  the  average  wage  of  clerks  in 
retail  stores  is  between  $6  and  $7  weekly.  The  average  expense  for  these  same 
women  living  at  home  is  $5.05,  while  the  lowest  possible  cost  of  a  girl  away  from 
home  is  $9.00.  It  must  certainly  be  that  a  large  number  of  young  women  are 
either  minus  on  the  side  of  healthful  living  conditions,  or  on  the  side  of  good  morals. 
Returning  to  religious  conditions,  if  we  take  Mr.  Carroll's  estimate  that 
31  2  per  cent  of  the  total  female  population  are  young  women  between  ten  and 
twenty-four,  then  according  to  the  last  available  church  census  one  out  of  four 
is  a  church  communicant,  and  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  three  fourths  are 
studying  the  question  through  investigation  of  the  Bible,  certainly  the  young  women 
who  are  minus  on  the  side  of  religious  knowledge  and  experience  are  many. 

The  presence  of  the  organized  Association  in  a  community  is  a  tribute  to 
its  maturity.  No  greater  witness  can  be  found  to  the  effectiveness  of  Christian 
missions  than  the  organization  of  national  committees  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association.  When  one  goes  back  in  thought  over  the  merely  half  a 
century  of  missionary  success,  and  thinks  of  the  seclusion  of  Oriental  women  up 
to  that  time,  the  testimony  of  the  illuminating  power  of  the  experience  of  the 
knowledge  of  God  is  almost  overwhelming.  Nothing  else  could,  in  so  short  a  time, 
have  emancipated  these  women.  That  Boards  of  Directors,  made  up  of  native 
women,  could  be  found  to  think  along  great  national  lines,  seems  almost  incredible, 
and  yet  in  four  great  nations  this  has  been  done. 

It  is  even  more  markedly  true  in  our  own  country.  The  Association  fol- 
lows in  the  wake  of  the  illuminating  force  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Its  working 
force  is  always  made  up  of  women  trained  in  church  service.  We  would  not  dare 
trust  it  otherwise.  Its  first  clientage  of  girls  are  those  who,  with  their  vision 
God-focused,  are  able  to  see  the  limitation  of  realities  in  their  life  and  to  help 
others  without  this  power  of  sight  to  see  it.  This  is  the  kinetic  strength  of  our 
movement.  May  I  offer  a  tribute  of  gratitude  for  the  willing  gift  of  leaders 
which  the  Church  has  made  to  the  Association  branch  of  its  activities? 

Figures  count  for  very  little  in  telling  of  the  real  value  of  our  movement. 
Twenty  thousand  women  in  factories  under  Association  influence  in  450  in- 
stitutions, 3S,ooo  in  educational  classes,  300,000  finding  their  social  life  under  its 
auspices,  5,500,000  served  in  its  dining  rooms,  and  75,000  accommodated  in  board- 
ing houses,  100  employment  bureaus,  and  19,000  young  women  in  Bible  study,  with 
a  full  100,000  served  through  the  agency  of  the  Travelers'  Aid;  and  a  total  of 
835  Associations  with  216,000  members — all  this  gives  but  little  conception  of 
the  results  of  all  the  Investment  of  time,  money,  and  effort.  It  is  after  all 
the  atmosphere  of  influence,  of  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  these  institutions  as  work- 
ing forces  that  is  counting  most  among  the  women  of  the  United  States. 

In  a  Western  city  a  man,  not  long  ago,  said  to  a  Secretary:  "What  do  you 
do?     What  does  your  organization  do?"     The  answer  was  one  that  any  Secre- 


14  Third  Biennial  Convention 

tary  could  often  give,  t3pical  of  the  many  entrances  to  many  phases  of  society 
which  the  Association  makes.  She  said,  "  I  am  going  to  tell  you  of  four  types 
of  demands  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  satisfying  within  four  successive  days. 
Several  weeks  ago,  I  was  in  a  growing  city  of  a  great  Western  fruit  district  inves- 
tigating conditions  prior  to  organizing  an  Association.  A  letter  came  to  the 
post  office  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  There  was  none.  It  was 
put   with   my   mail.      It   read,    '  I   am   going   away   from   home    for   the   first   time, 

am  nineteen  years  old  and  coming  to  .     Will  you  meet  me  at  the  train 

and  tell  me  where  to  room  and  help  me  to  work?  I  do  not  know  to  whom  else 
to  write.'  It  was  a  typical  demand  from  a  normal  industrial  woman — one  who 
must  leave  her  home  where  her  eflfort  was  not  needed  to  save  the  money  incre- 
ment as  had  been  true  in  all  homes  a  hundred  years  ago,  to  go  out  into  public 
service  of  some  kind  where  she  could  earn  the  money  increment. 

"  The  next  day  in  a  state  college  the  privileged  girls  of  the  institution  met 
with  me  to  confess  how  one-sided  their  life  was  growing,  and  the  need  they  had 
of  seeing  their  present  relation  to  the  world.  The  longing  for  worship,  how  soon  it 
dies!  The  self-centered  pleasures — how  absorbing  they  are!  The  mental  gym- 
nastics of  which  they  were  increasingly  proud — how  insidiously  pedantic  they  were 
becoming — the  new  social  theories — how  plausible  they  sounded!  The  artificial 
relationships — how  real  and  necessary  they  grew  to  be,  and  they  wondered  what 
the  trouble  was,  why  had  they  not  been  able  to  keep  their  ideals?  Why  were 
they  not  getting  out  of  life  what  they  believed  was  in  it?" 

Then  the  Secretary  told  them,  instead  of  preaching  them  a  sermon,  of  an- 
other Association  girl  out  in  another  artificial  relation,  with  a  little  life  to 
care  for  that  had  no  right  to  a  name,  and  asked  these  girls  to  care  for  her,  and 
all  at  once  they  saw,  and  as  they  whispered,  "  How  did  it  happen,"  and  heard  the 
story,  they  saw  from  what  they  had  been  saved,  and  without  knowing  it  were 
safe-guarded.  They  prayed  as  they  had  never  prayed  before.  They  set  up  stan- 
dards they  had  never  dreamed  necessary  before.  They  were  made  citizens  through 
the  fellowship  of  the  Association. 

The  next  day  in  a  city  home  to  a  company  of  ladies  to  whom  the  social  con- 
ditions of  the  times  had  given  leisure  which  they  might  use,  the  Secretary  talked 
of  the  responsibility  for  service  for  them,  and  while  she  spoke  she  was  called  to 
the  telephone,  and  after  the  introductions  the  anxiety  of  a  mother  fairly  burdened 
the  wires,  "  Can  you  find  a  girl  who  is  lost?  "  The  Secretary  promised  to  call  and 
see.  She  heard  the  story.  A  girl  of  leisure  interested  in  the  races,  a  college  man 
who  was  a  jockey,  had  grown  fascinating — the  daughter  gone.  A  rumor  of  a  life 
of  sin  in  another  state.  In  a  week  a  letter  was  placed  in  this  girl's  hand  by  an 
Advisory  Board  member  of  a  student  Association  offering  this  girl  a  position 
and  a  chance  for  a  new  life  in  another  city. 

The  fourth  day,  in  another  city,  as  the  Secretary  waited  in  the  Associa- 
tion offices  for  a  vesper  service,  a  man  entered  and  asked  for  an  interview,  and 
the  last  type  of  woman  is  met  and  served.  The  story  was  not  an  unusual  one, 
A  young  mother,  three  little  children,  an  ardent  religious  nature,  an  abnormally 
excited  mind,  and  she  had  imagined  she  had  a  call  to  service  in  the  slums  of  New 


Miss  Frances  C.  Gage  15 

York.  The  little  mother  had  gone,  would  almost  surely  stop  at  her  early  home 
en  route,  could  the  Association  find  her  and  help  her  see.  The  Department 
of  Public  Safety  for  Women  took  up  this  matter,  and  in  due  time  the  mother  re- 
turned and  saw. 

The  glory  of  the  Association  lies  not  in  the  fact  that  they  served  these 
four  types  of  woman,  the  normal  industrial  girl,  the  privileged  girl,  the  abnormal 
degenerate  girl,  and  the  abnormally  religious  girl,  but  that  they  were  equipped 
to  do  it. 

This  is  Christianity  to-day,  and  this  brings  us  to  some  of  the  great  facts  that 
we  must  face.  I  do  not  wish  to  explain  them  or  enlarge  upon  them.  I  do  not 
claim  that  they  are  all  the  important  problems  of  the  age,  but  they  are  some 
of  them. 

First.     The  physical  degeneracy  of  women. 

Second.  The  lack  of  moral  education  among  young  women.  Other  nations 
teach  systematically  morals  in  their  public  schools;  we  have  long  expected  chil- 
dren to  absorb  them,  and  they  are  not  doing  it.  Some  one  said  to  me  the  other 
day  he  believed  this  was  the  next  great  systematic  work  in  which  the  Young  Men's 
and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  should  pioneer. 

Third.  The  ignorance  of  the  mass  of  women  in  regard  to  the  fundamental 
principles  to  citizenship. 

Fourth.     The   demand  for  a   student's   interpretation   of   Christianity. 

Fifth.  The  large  class  of  inefficient  work-women  who  are  expecting  a  living 
and  the  resulting  degeneracy  to  their  sense  of  righteousness. 

Sixth.  The  great  increase  in  the  opportunity  for  a  habit  of  travel  and  the 
consequent  demands  upon  our  courtesy. 

Seventh.    The  hordes  of  foreign  women  who  are  coming  to  our  country. 

Eighth.     The  systematic  trading  upon  the  virtue  of  women. 

Ninth.  The  inadequate  scale  of  wages  which  the  large  majority  of  work- 
ing women  are  obliged  to  accept. 

And  now  may  I  ask  you,  at  the  risk  of  becoming  tedious  in  pressing  an  illus- 
tration, to  come  forward  and  with  me  take  the  hand  of  my  little  traveling  com- 
panion, for  she  is  indeed  typical.  How  sweet  and  innocent  and  naive  she  is!  How 
full  of  expectation  and  wonder  and  trust  is  her  heart!  I  do  not  think  she  belongs 
to  the  first  families  of  the  town,  but  in  this  she  is  also  typical,  for  the  heart  of 
our  nation  is  found  in  the  life  of  the  middle  way.  But  she  has  started  out  on  an 
important  journey  and  she  is  ready  to  "  walk  with  crowds  " — can  she  "  keep  her 
virtue  " — or  "  talk  with  kings  ?  "  Can  she,  among  them,  "  keep  the  common  touch." 
But  let  us,  as  we  stand  before  her,  remember  that  we  are  meeting  the  most  beau- 
tiful, the  most  hopeful  element  in  all  our  nation's  life,  the  real,  American  girl. 
And  if  sometimes  in  some  places,  her  voice  grows  hard  as  she  cries,  "scab,  scab!  " 
remember  it  is  sometimes  from  lack  of  food,  and  sometimes  because  of  the  hard- 
ships of  real  injustice.  Or  if,  on  the  other  hand,  she  sometimes  seems  carelessly 
selfish,  because  of  the  luxury  of  her  life,  let  us  always  know  that  in  her  heart  she 


16  Third  Biennial  Convention 

is  true  to  the  simple  nature  to  which  she  was  born  and  honestly  wishes  she  knew 
what  God  thinks  of  her. 

It  is  our  business  to  help  her  to  kno<w. 

The  nominating  committee  presented  the  following  names  for  officers: 
President,  Mrs.  Warren  Olney,  of  California;  First  Vice-President,  Mrs. 
C.  J.  Buchanan,  of  Indiana;  Second  Vice-President,  Miss  Annie  M.  Reyn- 
olds, of  Connecticut;  Secretaries,  Miss  Harriet  S.  Vance,  of  Pennsylvania, 
Miss  Esther  Chapman,  of  Missouri.  Upon  motion  the  report  of  the  nomi- 
nating committee  was  accepted  and  the  secretary  instructed  to  cast  the  bal- 
lot of  the  convention  for  the  officers  named. 

Adjournment. 

Wednesday  Evening 

The  Convention  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  with  Mrs.  Slocum  in 
the  Chair. 

After  the  singing  of  Hymn  No.  275,  "Judge  Eternal,  Throned  in 
Splendor,"  the  devotions  were  led  by  the  Rev.  C.  S.  Sargent,  Rector  of 
St.  David's  P.  E.  Church,  Indianapolis.  The  chairman  introduced  the 
speaker  of  the  evening,  the  Rev.  Harry  Emerson  Fosdick,  Pastor  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  who  spoke  on 

FRIENDSHIP'S    DEMAND    FOR    PRAYER 

I  call  your  attention  to-night,  to  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  beginning 
of  his  parable  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Luke,  fifth  verse ;  "  Friend,  lend  me  three 
loaves;  for  a  friend  of  mine  in  his  journey  is  come  to  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to 
set  before   him." 

Jesus  had  been  apart,  praying,  just  a  little  while  before  this,  and  the  disciples 
watching  him,  had  been  conscious  of  something  that  they  had  often  thought  of 
before,  and  desired  to  understand — the  mystery  of  the  influence  of  prayer  on  the 
life  of  the  Master.  Every  time  that  Jesus  prayed  a  new  world  was  opened  up 
within  him,  a  world  of  love  and  hope;  and  that  new  world  becoming  his  pos- 
session, by  the  magic  of  his  personal  influence  became  the  possession  of  the  dis- 
ciples also.  When  they  were  discouraged,  Jesus  went  apart  and  prayed,  and  lo, 
that  peace  and  joy  and  hope  that  came  into  his  life,  flowed  like  a  refreshing  river 
into  them.  Again  and  again  they  had  tasted  the  refreshment  of  this  stream  whose 
source  lay  far  up  in  the  Master's  quiet  hills  of  prayer,  and  now  they  summoned 
enough  courage  to  ask  him  for  such  a  source  in  their  own  lives;  they  wanted  to 
pray  as  Jesus  did. 

Of  course  they  were  Jews  and  had  been  praying  from  their  infancy,  but  they 
had  never  prayed  with  such  visible  results  as  Jesus  found  in  his  experience.     We 


The  Rev.  Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  17 

have  no  record  that  they  ever  asked  the  Master  to  teach  them  any  other  thing,  but 
they  did  ask  him  for  this,  to  teach  them  the  secret  of  the  spiritual  power  that  made 
him  so  patient  in  endurance  and  so  potent  in  service.  They  said,  "  Teach  us 
to  pray." 

As  you  turn  to  their  inquiry,  you  find  that  what  they  wanted  was  that  Jesus 
should  teach  them  a  form  of  prayer;  and  Jesus  did.  He  gave  them  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  but  pushing  on  through  this  parable  I  read  to  you,  he  tried  to  induct 
them  also  into  the  spirit  of  prayer.  The  spirit  of  prayer,  says  Jesus,  is  just  this: 
That  as  a  man  who  has  a  friend  come  to  him  at  night,  will  welcome  him,  and 
then  feeling  the  bareness  of  his  cupboard  to  supply  his  friend's  need  will  cross 
the  street  to  his  neighbor  and  say:  "  Friend,  lend  me  three  loaves,  for  a  friend 
of  mine  has  come  to  me  from  a  journey  and  I  have  nothing  to  set  before  him," 
so  a  man,  conscious  of  spiritual  poverty  that  makes  his  life  so  little  serviceable  to 
his  friends,  should  pray  to  God  for  grace  to  be  able  to  help  them.  This  is  the 
spirit  of  true  prayer,  born  out  of  friendliness. 

This  suggestion  of  Jesus  about  friendship's  demand  for  prayer,  is  an  ac- 
cusation, for  it  says  to  us  that  the  real  reason  for  the  poverty  of  our  prayer  life 
is  the  poverty  of  our  friendship.  This  man  in  the  parable  did  not  especially  notice 
the  bareness  of  his  cupboard  until  his  friend  came.  He  was  quite  satisfied  with 
the  slender  store  of  bread  and  meat  with  which  his  small  means  provided  him. 
When,  however,  he  looked  at  the  man  he  loved  and  then  looked  at  the  cupboard, 
the  thing  that  had  seemed  so  sufficient  to  him  before,  seemed  utterly  inadequate, 
and  he  excused  himself  and  crossed  the  street  and  said  to  his  neighbor,  "  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves."     It  was  the  demand  of  love  in  outgoing  friendship. 

We  do  not  like  the  imputation  that  the  poverty  of  our  prayer  life  is  due  to 
the  poverty  of  our  friendship.  We  would  far  rather  have  some  other  thing  urged 
as  an  excuse  for  our  failure  to  enter  deeply  and  seriously  into  the  prayer  life. 
We  know  that  friendship  is  so  beautiful  and  noble  a  thing;  we  have  heard  it 
praised  in  so  many  different  tones,  from  the  days  of  David  and  Jonathan  until 
now,  that  we  would  far  rather  have  some  other  excuse  to  offer  for  not  praying. 
I  would  be  surprised  if  more  than  one  here  has  not  been  saying,  "  No,  it  is  not 
the  lack  of  friendship  that  restrains  my  life  of  prayer;  it  is  my  intellectual  diffi- 
culties. I  have  never  been  able  to  get  the  true  philosophy  of  prayer ;  the  ration- 
alizing of  it  bothers  me.  It  must  have  been  easier  to  pray  in  those  old  days  when 
the  world  was  warm  and  cozy,  tucked  so  neatly  under  the  great  coverlet  of  the 
sky,  before  we  pushed  the  horizons  out  so  far  and  saw  with  what  an  iron  rule 
God  reigns  over  his  entire  creation.  The  world  used  to  be  small  and  neat,  but 
now  we  take  a  shaft  of  light  that  travels  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  thousand 
miles  a  second,  and  we  figure  up  the  number  of  centuries  that  it  takes  the  light 
to  travel  from  one  star  to  another.  On  a  clear  night,  also,  when  all  the  spheres 
are  shining  in  the  sky,  we  know  that  the  astronomers  have  account  of  a  thousand 
million  solar  systems  like  our  own,  and  we  say,  '  How  can  it  be  that  in  a  uni- 
verse like  this  a  man  can  lift  up  his  heart  to  the  God  of  it  all  and  say:  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves.'  " 

Of  course,  this  difficulty  with  the  philosophy  of  prayer  does   bother  a   great 


18  Third  Biennial  Convention 

many  people.  It  has  been  said  that  men  who  pray  are  like  sailors  who  throw 
out  an  anchor  to  a  great  rock  and  think  they  are  drawing  the  rock  to  themselves, 
when  really  they  are  drawing  themselves  to  the  rock.  So  are  men  who  pray  in 
a  world  of  law,  they  think  they  are  getting  God  to  do  their  will,  when  the  most 
they  can  hope  for,  is  to  get  their  wills  ih  line  with  God's. 

Well,  suppose  that  that  were  all  there  were  to  the  prayer  life;  supposing 
that  when  we  pray  we  do  not  pray  to  move  the  arm  that  moves  the  world,  but 
rather  that  through  our  prayer  the  arm  that  moves  the  world  may  more  easily 
move  us — would  it  not  still  be  worth  while  praying?  What  else  was  Jesus  doing 
in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemene,  when,  with  his  brow  covered  with  bloody  sweat, 
he  threw  himself  beneath  the  olive  trees  and  cried,  "  Not  my  will,  but  Thy  will 
be  done."  Was  he  trying  to  draw  the  rock  to  him,  or  himself  to  the  rock?  Was 
he  trying  to  get  God  to  do  his  will,  or  to  get  himself  more  fully  to  do  God's  will? 

If  this  were  all  there  were  to  prayer,  it  would  be  still  worth  the  praying.  But 
this  is  not  all  there  is  to  prayer.  You  never  can  get  all  there  is  to  prayer  into 
a  figure  where  you  have  as  the  representative  of  God  a  dead  and  impersonal 
thing  like  a  rock.  You  have  to  carry  your  figure  over  into  the  realm  of  life. 
You  come  much  nearer  to  the  truth  of  praj'er  when  you  say  that  it  is  like  the 
farmer  who  plants  his  seed,  and  all  the  physical  forces  of  the  universe  gather 
around  to  nourish  it  until  first  the  blade,  and  then  the  ear,  and  then  the  full  corn 
in  the  ear,  come  to  their  fruition.  Did  not  the  universe  do  it  all?  Yes,  the  uni- 
verse did  it,  but  the  universe  never  could  have  done  it  if  the  farmer  had  not 
planted  the  seed.  So  prayer  is  one  form  of  co-operation  with  God;  it  is  sowing 
in  the  great  soil  of  the  spiritual  universe  the  seed  of  an  open-hearted  receptivity, 
of  a  deep  desire  for  spiritual  good,  and,  lo,  the  forces  of  the  spiritual  universe 
gather  around  to  nourish  it,  until  God  and  the  prayer  together  bring  forth  forty, 
sixty,  or  an  hundred  fold. 

Even  so,  you  have  not  gotten  all  there  is  to  prayer,  for  you  must  carry  life 
over  into  the  personal  realm  before  you  can  truly  represent  God.  God,  then, 
is  rather  like  a  great  Father,  all  wise  and  all  loving,  who  governs  his  home  by 
rules  that  in  the  long  run  are  best  for  all  the  children.  In  a  home  like  that  there 
is  no  place  for  a  prayer  that  teases  the  father  to  change  his  plans.  That  is  im- 
pudent and  selfish.  There  is  no  place  in  such  a  home  for  a  prayer  that  docs 
not  end,  "  Thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done."  But  in  such  a  home  there  is  a  place  for 
a  prayer  that  concerns  itself  with  all  the  things  that  are  deepest  in  our  lives — 
with  love  and  faith  and  courage,  and  in  such  a  home  the  desire  of  the  child  to 
have,  conditions  everyway  the  power  of  the  father  to  give.  Prayer  is  not  against 
universal  law;  prayer  is  one  of  the  universal  laws.  You  parents  who  are  here 
to-night  know  well  that  you  can  drop  a  dollar  even  into  an  unwilling  pocket,  but 
you  cannot  drop  faith,  or  hope,  or  fidelity,  or  high  visions  of  life,  into  an  un- 
willing boy's  mind.  He  must  pray  with  an  open-hearted  receptivity  that  longingly 
awaits  the  thing  that  you  would  give  him.  So  God  can  do  to  the  man  who  prays, 
things  he  never  can  do  to  the  man  who  will  not  pray. 

The  intellectual  difficulties,  therefore,  in  the  way  of  prayer,  are  not  half  so 
great  as  we  have  oftentimes  imagined  them.     The  real   difficulties  in  our  prayer 


The  Rev.   Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  19 

life  are  not  intellectual ;  they  are  moral.  They  go  back  to  our  failure  to  have 
a  great  sense  of  spiritual  need  that  nobody  but  God  can  satisfy.  If  ever  you 
have  tried  to  remove  the  obstacles  from  a  brook-bed  when  the  brook  is  all 
dried  up  in  the  summer  time,  you  will  recall  how  diflBcult  it  was.  You  could  not 
start  them.  But  let  the  water  flow  back  again  and  a  tumultuous  torrent  fill  the 
bed  of  the  stream  to  the  banks,  and  lo,  sometimes  with  the  turn  of  the  hand  you 
can  loosen  those  obstacles,  and  the  flood  will  rush  down  the  channel  unobstructed. 
So  when  the  bed  of  your  lives  becomes  dried  up,  when  no  spiritual  sense  of  need 
flows  through,  you  may  try  as  you  can  to  get  the  intellectual  difficulties  out  of 
your  life,  and  they  will  not  budge.  Let  that  old  sense  of  need  come  back  again, 
however,  let  your  spirit  cry  out  for  something  that  only  God  can  give,  and  lo, 
with  what  ease  the  intellectual  difficulties  disappear,  and  you  have  a  free  course 
down  which  the  torrent  of  your  deep  desire  may  pour  itself  toward  God.  Let 
us  not  deceive  ourselves.  Nine  tenths  of  our  intellectual  problems  are  spiritual, 
and  in  prayer  particularly,  the  real  trouble  with  us  is  not  with  our  heads,  but 
with  our  hearts. 

Now,  if  the  prayer  life  really  finds  its  greatest  difficulty  in  the  lack  of  a 
deep  spiritual  sense  of  need  that  calls  on  God  for  help,  then  it  tangles  itself  up 
with  friendship  at  once.  For  it  takes  our  friends  to  show  us  how  much  we  lack; 
just  as  this  man  did  not  notice  the  barrenness  of  his  cupboard  until  his  friend  came. 
No  man  can  ever  know  himself  simply  by  introspecting  his  own  spiritual  con- 
sciousness. It  is  like  trying  to  see  your  own  face  without  a  mirror.  You  can- 
not so  twist  your  eyes  as  to  look  at  yourself.  So  in  the  old  scriptures  when  they 
had  no  mirrors,  they  used  to  look  for  their  reflections  in  the  bosom  of  some 
limpid  pool,  it  is  written,  "  As  in  the  water  face  answereth  to  face,  so  in  the 
heart  man  answereth  to  man."  It  is  our  friends  who  reveal  to  us  our  deepest 
selves.  In  loving  them,  in  praying  for  them,  in  serving  them  we  find  what  we 
really  are.  Are  there  capacities  for  love  in  us?  It  will  take  a  friend  to  find 
them.  Are  there  possibilities  of  sacrifice,  patience,  and  courage  in  us?  Love  must 
be  the  discoverer.  We  are  an  unknown  continent,  until  friendship  finds  us  out; 
and  it  is  the  pioneering  of  love  that  opens  us  up  to  spiritual  civilization. 

Or  is  there  meanness  in  us,  is  there  spiritual  poverty,  is  there  paucity  of  moral 
ideals?  Are  we  superficial  and  frivolous  about  life,  do  we  lack  moral  stability? 
Then  it  will  take  our  friends  to  discover  those  things  for  us,  not  that  they  will 
tell  us  of  them,  but  that  as  we  face  their  need  of  us  and  feel  the  deep  instinct  of 
friendship  to  be  of  help,  the  sense  of  our  spiritual  barrenness  will  appall  us,  and 
the  profoundest  impulses  of  our  hearts  will  lead  us  up  to  God,  to  say  "  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves,  for  a  friend  of  mine  has  come  to  me  from  a  journey,  and 
I  have  nothing  to  set  before  him." 

Surely,  the  deepest  meanings  of  friendship  He  in  just  this  thing.  Why  is  it 
that  God  has  caused  our  lives  to  be  all  tangled  up  in  this  way,  so  that  no  man 
lives  or  dies  unto  himself?  What  is  the  ultimate  purpose  of  it  all,  if  not  this, 
that  each  one  of  us,  opening  up  his  heart  to  God,  should  be  the  channel  down 
which  God  can  come,  not  only  into  us,  but  through  us  into  our  friends.  When 
we  pray  for  ourselves,  therefore,  we  must  take  into  the  embrace  of  our  thought 


20  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  friends  who  may  be  helped,  through  us,  when  God  sends  down  his  benedic- 
tion on  our  lives.  For  all  of  us  are  built  in  suites,  one  room  opening  into  another, 
and  all  the  rooms  have  doors  into  the  corridor.  Only  sometimes,  just  as  in  hotels, 
all  the  doors  into  the  corridor  are  closed  but  one,  and  if  you  get  into  those  rooms 
at  all,  you  have  to  go  through  that  one  door.  So  friends  are  built  in  suites,  and 
often  among  them  all  just  one  man  has  his  heart  open  toward  God.  How  he 
must  stand  guard  over  that  entrance!  He  is  on  watch  there  not  simply  for  him- 
self, but  for  his  friends,  and  every  good  or  evil  he  lets  in,  comes  in  to  all  of 
them.  No  man  can  pray,  therefore,  knowing  what  he  does,  who  does  not  take  his 
friends  into  his  prayer.  No  man  understands  what  prayer  means  until  he  puts 
it  this  way:  "  Friend,  lend  me  three  loaves,  for  a  friend  of  mine  is  come!  " 

There  are  many  relationships  in  life  where  this  truth  has  practical  applica- 
tion. You  fathers  and  mothers  here  to-night  must  feel  the  force  of  it  when  you 
have  children  coming  to  womanhood  and  manhood.  About  the  time  that  boy  or 
girl  begins  to  lay  hold  on  you,  demanding  guidance  and  inspiration,  a  lofty  ex- 
ample, and  an  incarnate  fine  ideal,  how  bare  the  cupboard  looks!  "A  friend  of 
mine  is  come  to  me  from  a  journey,"  you  pray,  "  and  I  have  nothing  to  set  be- 
fore him." 

In  less  intimate  relationship,  also,  is  there  anything  that  will  more  test  the 
depth  and  quality  of  your  spiritual  life,  than  to  have  some  friend  come  to  you, 
who  is  facing  a  bitter  sorrow  and  needs  your  help,  or  in  temptation  cries  for 
rescue?  How  bare  the  cupboard  seems,  when  you  try  to  inspire  that  soul!  How  im- 
possible it  is  for  you  to  feel  contented  with  your  own  life,  when  you  face  one  whom 
you  love  and  who  needs  your  spiritual  assistance?  Read  the  prayers  of  Jesus, 
and  see  how  almost  all  the  deepest  petitions  of  his  life  were  born  of  this  situation. 
The  Lord's  Prayer  is  not  really  the  Lord's  Prayer.  We  have  no  record  that  he 
ever  prayed  it.  His  prayer  in  Gethsemene,  also,  when  he  said,  "  If  it  be  possible 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me,"  was  not  typical  of  Jesus,  because  that  was  wrung 
from  him  in  a  moment  of  extreme  crisis.  There  is,  however,  a  prayer  that  John 
gives  us  in  his  Gospel,  which  I  imagine  thousands  of  times  was  on  the  lips  of 
Jesus,  and  it  is  this:  "Father,  glorify  Thy  Son,  that  Thy  Son  also  may  glorify 
Thee."  We  might  put  it  in  other  words:  "Father,  make  me  at  my  best,  keep  me 
at  my  highest,  sanctify  my  life,  and  let  it  shine  with  Thee,  that  I  may  meet  the 
needs  of  those  whom  Thou  hast  given  me,  and  glorify  Thy  name  in  them." 

This  is  the  spirit  of  prayer. 

"  For  what  are  men  better  than  sheep  or  goats 
That  nourish  a  blind  life  within  the  brain. 
If  knowing  God,  they  lift  not  hands  of  prayer, 
Both  for  themselves,  and  those  who  call  them  friend?  " 

"  Oh,  "  you  say,  "  it  is  well  to  pray  with  the  thought  of  your  friends  in  mind, 
but  we  all  of  us  have  private  needs;  we  have  individual  troubles  that  we  have 
to  pray  about."  There  is  not  a  person  here  who  ever  had  a  private  need.  We 
have  never  seen,  in  this  true  proportion,  the  needs  that  we  call  private,  until  we 


The  Rev.  Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  21 

see,  that  in  the  last  analysis,  every  one  of  them  is  social  and  public.  We  do 
not  stand  like  bottles  in  the  rain,  separate  receptacles,  so  that  the  gain  or  loss  of 
one  means  nothing  to  the  others.  Rather  we  are  interlacing  rivulets,  and  what 
the  heavens  give  or  withhold  in  one  case  is  the  concern  of  everybody.  It  is  not 
ray  aflfair,  simply,  that  I  make  the  most  of  my  spiritual  life;  it  is  a  matter  of 
public  concern  in  the  community  where  I  live,  and  among  all  the  friends  whom 
I  possibly  might  influence.  When  a  minister  goes  down  to  wreck  in  spite  of  the 
uplifting  influences  that  surround  him  in  the  love  and  prayers  of  his  people,  it 
is  worse  for  the  nation  and  the  town,  than  a  bank  failure.  It  shakes  the  foun- 
dations of  the  morals  of  the  world.  That  is  true  of  everyone  of  us.  No  one 
can  make  a  failure  in  the  moral  life  without  dealing  a  blow  that  shakes  the  earth 
to  its  remotest  circumference.  Sometimes  a  young  man  upbraided  for  his  habits, 
will  turn  on  you  and  say,  "Sir,  you  mind  your  own  business;  my  habits  are  my 
own  aflPair."  But  that  is  exactly  what  his  habits  are  not.  His  habits  may  be 
almost  anything  else,  but  they  are  not  private.  They  are  public;  they  are  as 
public  as  the  control  of  corporations,  they  are  as  public  as  the  tarifiF ;  they  are 
as  much  a  matter  of  social  concern  as  the  battle  between  capital  and  labor.  Even 
though  they  never  should  be  discovered,  they  are  public,  as  public  as  poison  in 
the  town  reservoir,  that  even  when  people  do  not  suspect  it,  slays  in  a  thousand 
homes,  on  every  side.  You  remember  the  old  scripture  saying,  "  Be  sure  your  sin 
will  find  you  out."  It  does  not  say,  "Be  sure  your  sin  will  be  found  out."  May- 
be it  will  never  be  found  out.  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out,"  will  track 
you  down,  will  put  a  blight  upon  your  finest  success,  and  eat  like  a  corruption 
into  the  heart  of  your  character.  And  because  your  sin  will  find  you  out,  be 
sure  that  it  will  find  your  friends  out,  will  break  their  hearts,  will  spoil  and 
disappoint  their  hopes  of  you,  and  to  the  end  of  their  days  will  make  it  harder 
for  them  to  believe  in  God  and  to  trust  in  man.  No  man  has  really  prayed  for 
what  he  calls  his  private  needs,  until  he  takes  his  friends  into  his  account. 

Not  only  does  this  hold  true  in  the  home  and  in  our  personal  friendships, 
but  you  feel  it  at  once  moving  out  into  the  life  of  the  church.  This  truth  of 
which  I  have  been  speaking  to-night,  brings  the  pastor  to  his  knees  in  suppli- 
cation for  his  own  soul,  that  he  may  help  his  congregation.  He  may  have  been 
living  for  months  in  spiritual  self  content,  and  then  great  sorrow  falls  upon  some 
family  in  his  church  (a  young  husband  loses  his  wife,  or  a  young  couple  lose  their 
first  child),  and  he  goes  to  that  house  of  sorrow  to  bring  comfort  there.  How  empty 
the  cupboard  seems!  How  he  lifts  up  his  heart  to  say,  "Friend,  lend  me  three 
loaves!"  Or,  perhaps  he  has  been  quite  content  with  his  own  moral  life,  feeling 
that  his  standards  have  been  high  enough,  and  then  some  youth  in  his  congregation 
comes  to  him  with  a  great  battle  raging,  honor  and  dishonor  fighting  like  grim 
giants  within  the  soul.  Oh,  how  bare  the  cupboard  seems  in  such  an  hour — when 
friends  come  at  midnight! 

Do  you  think  that  because  I  have  been  using  the  word  pastor,  I  have  been 
especially  speaking  of  the  ministerial  office?  I  suppose  there  must  be  one 
preacher  in  the  church,  but  there  never  ought  to  be  one  pastor.  A  church  full  of 
pastors  is  the  only  possible  ideal.     For  what  is  a  pastor  but  a  man  who  loves  his 


22  Third  Biennial  Convention 

friends  and  tries  to  do  them  good;  a  man  who,  for  their  sake,  sanctifies  himself, 
a  man  who  tries  to  live  so  true  a  life,  so  close  in  touch  with  God,  that  he  may 
be  leaned  hard  on  in  the  day  of  trouble,  and  in  the  day  of  tempest  stand  like 
the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land.  What  is  a  pastor  but  a  Christian, 
simply,  who  puts  his  life  up  close  against  the  lives  of  other  men  and  tries  to  call 
down  blessings  from  the  Holy  Mount  on  them  as  well  as  on  himself.  Every 
Christian,  when  he  becomes  a  Christian,  by  that  fact  is  ordained  to  be  a  pastor, 
and  the  mark  and  sign  of  his  divine  ordination  is  that  he  can  say  to  every  friend 
of    his: 

"  When  I  sue, 

God  for  myself,  He  hears  that  name  of  thine, 

And  sees  within  my  eyes  the  tears  of  two." 

I  have  traced  the  application  of  this  principle  of  friendship's  demand  for 
prayer,  out  through  its  various  circles,  to  remind  you  to-night  of  that  larger 
circle  in  which  as  a  great  National  organization,  you  are  especially  interested. 
No  man  can  consider  very  long  how  he  has  thus  interwoven  with  family,  friends, 
and  church,  without  seeing  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  draw  a  boundary 
around  the  influence  of  this  prayer  that  friendship  asks  him  for.  Each  one  of 
you  here  to-night  has  a  hundred  acquaintances,  let  us  say,  and  each  one  of  those 
acquaintanceships  is  a  live-wire  connection  between  your  heart  and  some  other 
person.  Now  each  of  those  hundred  friends  has  a  hundred  more  friendships, 
each  of  which  is  a  live-wire  connection.  You  see,  when  you  let  your  imagination 
run  out  a  little  way  into  this  great  network  of  humanity,  that  you  are  dealing  with 
interlacing  relationships  that  overlap  all  boundaries  of  race  or  nation,  until  they 
have  taken  into  account  every  man,  woman,  and  child  that  breathes  upon  the 
earth.  I  suppose  you  could  take  the  most  unlikely  people  you  could  imagine,  a 
boss  of  Tammany  Hall  and  a  cannibal  on  a  South  Sea  island,  and  trace,  directly 
or  indirectly,  live-wire  connections  between  the  two. 

Three  years  ago,  in  Washington,  they  tried  a  very  interesting  experiment  at 
a  railroad  convention.  The  men  there  were  naturally  interested  in  rapidity  of 
communication,  and  so  a  little  before  midnight  they  gathered  in  a  room  where 
there  were  two  telegraph  instruments,  a  transmitter  and  a  receiver.  At  five  min- 
utes before  twelve  they  sent  out  a  message  that  lined  up  the  telegraph  stations 
around  the  world.  At  twelve  o'clock  the  message  started.  It  was  ten  o'clock  when 
it  passed  through  Denver;  nine  o'clock  when  it  danced  out  through  the  Golden 
Gate;  at  one  o'clock  it  came  up  out  of  the  sea  at  Manila;  at  twelve  it  was  sing- 
ing through  the  Indian  Ocean;  at  seven  o'clock  it  jumped  over  the  boundaries  of 
Asia  into  Europe;  at  five  o'clock  it  leaped  across  England,  at  one  it  reached  New- 
foundland, and  finally,  at  twelve  two,  in  that  little  upper  room  in  Washington, 
the  telegraphic  receiver  began  ticking  off  the  message  that  had  just  left  the  trans- 
mitter— around  the  world  in  two  minutes.  That  is  a  far-off  picture  of  the  rapidity, 
the  subtlety,  the  pervasiveness  with  which  spiritual  influences  are  transmitted 
through  this  great  intermeshed  humanity  of  ours. 

The  whole  world  drinks  from  a  common  reservoir,  into  whose  feeding  streams 


The  Rev.   Harry  Emerson  Fosdick  23 

the  rivulets  of  your  influence  go,  and  sooner  or  later  everybody  tastes  the  flavor 
of  your  contribution.  The  whole  world  breathes  a  common  air,  into  whose  fra- 
grance the  odor  goes  from  out  your  garden,  and  sooner  or  later  everybody  breathes 
the  fragrance  of  your  flowers.  No  man  lives  to  himself,  nor  dies  to  himself,  in 
all  the  world.  We  must  pray  with  the  whole  of  our  race  in  our  petition!  "Why 
don't  you  write  more  books?  "  said  Professor  Palmer  to  his  wife,  the  former  Presi- 
dent of  Wellesley  College.  "  Why  don't  you  make  more  lectures  with  all  these 
intellectual  powers  of  yours?  Why  don't  you  come  out  on  a  larger  platform?" 
"Oh,"  she  said,  "you  see  it  is  people  that  count;  you  must  give  yourself  to  people 
and  they  give  themselves  to  other  people,  and  they  give  themselves  to  still  other 
people,  and  so  you  go  on  working  forever  and  forever."  I  am  more  afraid  that 
the  young  men  and  the  young  women  of  the  Christian  Associations,  will  forget 
that,  than  of  any  other  danger  which  they  face.  This  alone  is  the  inward  dynamic 
force  of  spiritual  life  and  work,  and  not  the  most  ingenious  machinery  that  your 
great  organizations  can  build,  will  make  up  for  the  lack  of  it.  All  your  organ- 
izations can  do  is  to  bring  people  within  touch  of  you,  where  you  can  lay  your  life, 
full   of  prayer,  close   against  theirs. 

In  the  old  days  when  fire  was  precious,  so  precious  that  they  used  to  keep 
fires  upon  the  temple  hearths,  burning  day  and  night,  watched  over  by  priests 
and  vestals,  when  it  was  harder  to  kindle  than  it  is  to-day,  so  hard  that  they  had 
legends  that  fire,  in  the  first  place,  had  been  stolen  from  heaven,  by  a  hero,  in 
the  early  morning,  from  a  dark  and  fireless  village,  some  man  would  climb  the 
hill  to  the  temple  and  light  his  taper  there,  at  the  holy  hearth.  Then  coming 
down  from  the  sanctuary,  he  would  distribute  the  flame  to  his  neighbors  who 
would  distribute  it  to  their  neighbors,  until  throughout  all  the  town  where  a  mo- 
ment before  dreariness  and  cold  had  dwelt,  there  was  cheeriness  and  warmth, 
with  smoke  curling  from  the  chimneys.  From  that  one  visit  to  the  temple  the  whole 
village  had  gotten  light  and  heat.  This  man  had  gone  up  to  the  sanctuary  alone 
and  had  come  back  to  illuminate  the  firesides  of  his  friends.  That  is  the  heart 
of  friendship,  and  that  is  the  heart  of  prayer. 

Have  some  of  you  to-night  been  saying,  "  Oh,  friendship  has  always  meant 
a  great  deal  to  me,  but  it  doesn't  mean  this."  Then  you  have  not  been  using 
friendship  for  spiritual  ends.  You  have  not  been  looking  upon  these  open  chan- 
nels as  God's  great  chances  to  get  his  truth  through  you  into  the  lives  of  others, 
and  your  friendships,  however  highly  you  prize  them,  will  never  come  to  their 
best  until  they  take  this  in.  The  finest  of  them  will  have  something  low  and 
tawdry  about  them,  until  they  are  made  the  channels  for  spiritual  influence.  "The 
best  way  to  clear  a  dusty  trumpet  is  to  blow  music  through  it,"  some  one  said, 
and  the  best  way  to  make  friendship  noblest  is  to  use  it  for  a  worthy  end.  Lo, 
every  day  they  crowd  about  you,  these  friends  of  yours!  They  touch  your  shoul- 
ders, they  walk  beside  you  in  the  street,  they  sit  beside  you  in  the  home,  the  doors 
are  open  on  a  thousand  sides,  for  the  one  work  that  is  really  vital,  the  work  of 
personal  influence,  the  work  of  the  soul,  that  has  learned  the  great  prayer,  "  Friend, 
lend  me  three  loaves,  for  a  friend  of  mine  is  come  to  me  from  a  journey  and  I 
have  nothing  to  set  before  him." 


24  Third  Biennial  Convention 

After  the  singing  of  Hymn  No.  169,  "  Jesus,  These  Eyes  Have  Never 
Seen,"  the  benediction  was  pronounced  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sargent. 

Thursday  Morning 

The  Convention  met  at  ten  o'clock,  Mrs.  Slocum  presiding.  The 
incoming  president,  Mrs.  Warren  Olney,  of  California,  who  had  been 
unable  to  attend  the  Wednesday  afternoon  meeting  was  introduced  and 
welcomed.  Mrs.  Olney  assumed  the  Chair,  and  asked  for  the  report  of  the 
former  secretary.  Miss  Augusta  Brown,  on  the  resolutions  under  which 
the  business  of  the  last  Biennial  Convention,  at  St.  Paul,  was  conducted. 
Miss  Brown  read  the  resolutions  as  follows: 

Resolutions  governing  the  conduct  of  business: 

No.  I.  Resolved  that  all  resolutions  shall  be  handed  in  in  writing  signed  by 
the   proposer. 

No.  2.  Resolved  that  in  the  business  meetings  each  speaker  shall  be  limited 
in  discussion  to  five  minutes. 

No.  3.  Resolved  that  each  speaker  shall  address  the  Convention  but  once 
to  a  question,  until  all  who  wish  to  speak  on  that  question  shall  have  had  the 
opportunity. 

No.  4.  Resolved  that  all  resolutions  or  recommendations  concerning  the  re- 
ports and  recommendations  of  the  National  Board  shall  be  referred  to  a  Committee 
on  the  National  Board's  report. 

No.  5.  Resolved  that  all  recommendations  be  referred,  without  reading,  to 
the  proper  committee. 

No.  6.  Resolved  that  invitations  for  the  entertainment  of  the  next  Biennial 
Convention  be  referred  to  the  National  Board,  with  power  to  act. 

Upon  motion  seconded  the  resolutions  were  adopted.  The  appoint- 
ment of  the  Convention  Committees  then  followed. 

Committee  on  Resolutions 

Chairman,  Mrs.  B.  W.  Labaree,  Connecticut. 
Executive,  Mrs.  Edward  C.  Dayton,  New  York. 

Miss  Winifred  Bosche,  Texas. 

Miss  Isabel  Bevier,  Illinois. 

Miss  Lucy  Helen  Pearson,  Wisconsin. 


Business  of  the  Convention  25 

Committee  on  National  Board's  Report 

Chairman,  Mrs.  Wm.  P.  Harford,  Nebraska. 
Executive,  Miss  Mabel  Cratty,  New  York. 

Miss  Mary  L.  Babcock,  New  York. 

Mrs.  Samuel  Ballantyne,  Idaho. 

Mrs.  F.  T.  Crouch,  New  York. 

Miss  Alice  H.  Clark,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Dr.  Emma  S.  Cooper,  Missouri. 

Miss  Adele  Disbro,  Gulf  States. 

Miss  Clara  Greaves,  South  Carolina. 

Mrs.  W.  A.  Hubbard,  Iowa. 

Miss  Mary  Porter,  West  Virginia. 

Miss  Alice  R.  Marsh,  Michigan. 

Miss  Mary  Rathbun,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  John  Stauff,  Pennsylvania. 

Miss  Cornelia   Souther,  Missouri. 

Miss  Mabel  Staflford,  Texas. 

Mrs.  Edgar  Scott,  Illinois. 

Mrs.  R.  V.  Taylor,  Alabama. 

Mrs.  E.  E.  Stacy,  Indiana. 

Foreign  guests  were  then  introduced :  Miss  Grace  Tottenham,  of  Lon- 
don, a  member  of  the  World's  Committee;  Miss  Ethel  Stevenson,  of 
London,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  World's  Committee;  Mile. 
Suzanne  Bidgrain,  Secretary  of  the  National  Committee,  France;  Miss 
Susie  Little,  Executive  Secretary  for  the  Dominion  of  Canada;  Miss 
Frances  Cross,  General  Secretary  of  the  Association  at  Madras,  India; 
Miss  Mary  B.  Hill,  General  Secretary  of  the  Association  at  Lahore,  India ; 
Miss  Caroline  MacDonald,  Secretary  of  the  National  Committee,  Japan. 
Each  brought  a  word  of  greeting  and  a  message  from  the  district  of  her 
labors,  and  each  was  listened  to  with  earnest  attention  and  applause. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton,  of  London,  presi- 
dent of  the  World's  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  After 
acknowledging  the  welcome  of  the  Convention  and  saying  that  she  came 
to  present  some  of  the  world  claims  in  the  Association  work,  Mrs.  Tritton 
said,  in  part: 

The  study  of  history  shows  us  that  there  are,  at  all  times,  world  movements 
and  developments  arriving  simultaneously  in  many  parts.  Countries  differing  in 
language,  race,  ideas,  religion,  find  the  same  awakening,  independently  and  uni- 
formly. In  many  ways,  how  widely  differing  are  East  and  West,  and  yet  both 
are  finding  that  the   time  for  women's   advance   and   independence   is   upon   us. 


26  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Splendid,  of  course,  for  those  who  are  ready,  but  it  is  the  unpreparedness  of 
women  in  many  countries,  which  constitutes  the  gravest  danger.  This  kind  of 
evolution  cannot  be  stayed;  progress  is  now  the  order  of  the  day;  social  condi- 
tions in  one  country  depend  upon  the  proper  development  of  such  conditions  in 
other  countries.     Such  chains  as  these  bind  one  part  of  civilization  to  all  others. 

It  is  remarkable  to  look  back  sixty  years  and  find  the  twig  of  this  now  world- 
wide Association,  planted  by  Lady  Kinnaird  and  Miss  Robarts,  in  England. 
In  those  days  there  was  no  specialized  work  for  each  class,  and  it  was  an  inspira- 
tion given  to  these  two  women  (as  to  Sir  George  Williams  for  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association)  to  organize  an  association  to  meet  the  needs  of  woman- 
hood, when  such  needs  were  still  few  and  limited.  The  inspiration  was  begun, 
as  it  still  is  continued,  in  prayer,  which  explains  its  strength  and  continuance, 
for  the  word  "  Christian  "  has  always  been  its  key-note.  Changes  gradually  came 
in  women's  lives,  and  the  Association  tried  at  each  psychological  moment  to 
provide  for  and  meet  the  fresh  needs.  If  its  work  is  to  develop  now  and  to  take 
its  proper  place  in  the  movemeats  of  the  world  we  must  be  ready  still  to  adapt 
the  organization  to  the  requirements  of  the  hour  in  every  country.  It  has  greatly 
struck  us,  from  the  Old  Country,  to  see  how  splendidly  you  in  the  States  are 
doing  this.  We  realize  that  right  Association  work  involves  all  manner  of 
social  questions — economic  conditions,  of  labor,  sanitary  legislation,  and  other 
matters  essentially  touching  directly  and  indirectly  the  purity,  health,  and  well- 
being  of  our  young  womanhood.  We  have  in  all  lands  to  face  a  gigantic  task 
and  to  join  forces  with  all  who  work  for  the  righteousness  of  each  nation.  Were 
it  not  for  prayer  and  faith  in  our  Lord,  and  the  underlying  aim  to  help  each 
individual  girl  to  find  for  herself  the  Great  Saviour  and  Companion,  our  hearts 
would  sink  at  the  magnitude  of  the  attempt. 

To  understand  the  present  let  us  make  a  short  resume  of  the  past  history. 
There  were,  seventeen  years  ago,  certain  countries  where  the  Association  was 
already  formed,  some  large  and  some  smaller  in  number.  In  your  congenial 
soil  the  organization  had  taken  deep  hold,  and  it  came  to  the  minds  of  the  leaders 
of  the  movement  both  here  and  in  Great  Britain  that  instead  of  having  only  iso- 
lated Associations  in  each  country,  it  would  make  for  strength  and  power 
to  have  some  connecting  link.  In  1894  Miss  Morse,  of  New  York  City,  and  Miss 
Corabel  Tarr  (now  Mrs.  Boyd),  of  Illinois,  came  to  London  to  confer  with  some 
of  the  leaders  there  as  to  uniting  the  existing  Associations,  under  the  title  of 
a  World's  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  The  result  was  the  forma- 
tion, with  its  Constitution  and  its  basis,  of  this  Association.  Throughout  her 
life,  we  found  in  Miss  Morse  a  wise  and  able  counsellor  and  friend,  and  the 
World's  Association  of  to-day  owes  more  to  her  forethought  in  laying  solid  foun- 
dations than  can  be  adequately  expressed.  The  World's  Committee  is  based  upon 
numerical  representation,  each  member  of  the  committee  representing  a  definite 
number  of  Associations  in  each  country.  This  Committee  meets  at  a  Quad- 
rennial Conference,  and  also  at  a  biennial  meeting  between  the  conferences. 

From  the  very  beginning  you  have  been  sharing  in  this  pioneer  work  of  the 
World's  Young  Women's  Christian  Association;  you  shared  in  its  conception;  you 


Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton  27 

have  given  us  our  general  secretaries,  Miss  Reynolds  and  Miss  Spencer,  who  have 
made  a  world-wide  visitation  of  the  Associations;  and  to  whom  much  of  the 
progress  is  due;  you  have  shared  the  financial  responsibility;  you  have  given 
secretaries  to  India  and  China;  you  have  acted  in  close  co-operation;  and  apart 
from  you  there  would  to-day  be  no  World's  Young  Women's  Christian  Association. 

The  problems  facing  womanhood  all  over  the  world  are  alike;  the  same 
dangers,  the  same  sins,  the  same  temptations,  the  same  aspirations,  the  same  human 
nature,  with  increasing  freedom  from  restraints  and  increasing  traveling  facilities. 
For  this  reason  our  Homes  are  needed  as  never  before.  But  the  work  of  the 
World's  Committee  does  not  alone  deal  with  those  countries  which  have  national 
Associations,  or  are  in  corresponding  membership,  but  it  helps  to  organize  Asso- 
ciations in  countries  which,  by  reason  of  old  conditions,  are  not  yet  prepared 
to  go  forward  and  which  turn  to  us  for  help.  For  some  time  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  races  must  be  the  ones  to  which  all  countries  turn.  We  have  had  great 
privileges,  an  open  Bible,  with  God-fearing  teaching  for  generations;  therefore 
our  responsibilities  are  great  toward  those  who  have  surroundings  of  darkness, 
of  atheism,  it  may  be  of  superstition  and  of  ignorance.  But  though  it  is  to  us 
Anglo-Saxons  that  the  call  comes,  it  is  not  that  we  are  to  take  with  us  an  Ameri- 
can or  a  British  Association.  No,  the  Association  must  always  in  every  respect 
adapt  itself  to  the  country  where  it  is  planted,  and  become  truly  national ;  our 
aim  is  to  develop  leaders  in  each  nation. 

Applications  come  from  all  parts  of  the  world  for  our  help.  You  already 
know  through  Miss  Paddock  of  the  vast  needs  of  China — that  country  which  even 
fifteen  years  ago  was  said  to  be  a  country  that  never  moved,  but  is  now  called  by 
one  who  knows  it  well,  "  Changing  China."  The  women  are  ready,  nay,  long- 
ing, for  fuller  education ;  emancipation  is  coming  to  them.  They  want  examples 
of  Christian  living  on  all  its  sides,  ideals  of  home  life,  in  fact,  all  that  sanctified 
Christian  womanhood  can  bring.  The  same  applies  to  Japan.  But  soon  they  will 
not  need  us.  They  will  have  the  education  and  be  able  to  impart  it;  they  will 
have  independence,  perhaps  without  the  restraints  which  the  fear  of  God  alone 
can  give;  our  unique  opportunity  will  have  passed!  From  South  America  the 
call  comes  to  us:  "  Send  us  secretaries."  The  country  is  settling  down  but  women 
are  needing  our  secretaries,  our  hotels,  our  lunch  rooms,  in  the  busy  towns,  in 
some  of  which  there  has  been  hardly  a  suitable  or  decent  house  for  women  alone 
to  lodge. 

Then  Australia  calls  for  secretaries — a  young  country  full  of  enormous  pos- 
sibilities. Miss  Esther  Anderson,  whom  you  have  sent,  is  doing  fine  work,  but  at 
present  they  beg  us  to  send  more  leaders  to  help  in  training  others. 

Think  again  of  South  America — Buenos  Aires,  perhaps  one  of  the  most  dan- 
gerous cities  in  the  world  for  girls,  where  there  is  an  Association,  but  more 
help  is  needed.  Think  of  Rio,  where  they  beg  for  an  Association  to  be  started. 
Think  of  Mexico  City,  for  which  the  salary  is  provided,  but  no  secretary  has  as 
yet  been  found  to  go. 

You  have  helped  largely  in  sending  to  India  secretaries  who  have  brought 
great  blessing.     But  those  who  are  overtired,   and  whose  furloughs   are  overdue 


28  Third  Biennial  Convention 

have  to  stay  on,  because  there  are  none  to  fill  their  places — and  there  are  many 
cities   of   India   calling  out  for  secretaries  to  start  Association  work. 

The  near  East  also  calls  us  loudly.  The  women  of  Turkey,  of  Bulgaria,  of 
Servia,  also  of  Russia,  are  realizing  their  powers.  Medical  wonnen  students  are 
in  training  and  flocking  with  others  to  the  university  centers  with,  too  often,  no 
suitable  provision  for  their  reception.  The  interdenominational  character  of  our 
Association  enables  us  to  enter  where  any  denominationalism  would  be  shut 
out.  It  may  be  that  the  Association  is  to  make  history,  as  it  is  no  doubt  helping 
to  build  empires,  and  become  a  unifying  force  in  some  of  these  countries,  which 
are  certainly  now  realizing  that  there  may  be  co-operation  in  matters  concerning 
the  uplifting  of  womanhood  among  those  who  differ  widely  in  many  other  respects. 

We  believe  absolutely  and  firmly  that  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation can  meet  the  needs  of  the  world  to-day,  but  we  must  have  fully  equipped 
women,  the  very  best,  to  go  forth  and  expound  it.  As  a  concrete  example  of  the 
work  of  the  World's  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  let  me  tell  you  a  few 
of  the  matters  which  came  before  the  last  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee. 

We  heard  from  Madame  Bertrand,  an  Italian  member  of  the  World's  Com- 
mittee who  often  travels  widely  and  helps  us  greatly,  that  at  Lisbon  a  friend 
of  the  Association  had  offered  to  raise  money  for  the  support  of  a  secretary, 
and  that  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  could  provide  a  suitable  one  to 
train  if  we  could  provide  the  expense  of  her  rooms,  and  she  could  be  under  the 
local  control  of  the  Association.  At  Oporto  they  have  an  excellent  woman 
who  could  be  also  hospital  trained,  which  in  that  country  is  much  needed,  and 
a  house  where  she  could  live  free  of  charge,  but  a  salary  must  be  found.  In  such 
Roman  Catholic  countries  there  is  no  possibility  at  present  of  raising  funds  locally, 
so  the  World's  Executive  Committee  is  consulted,  and  hopes  to  be  able  to  ar- 
range for  a  special  fund  for  these  purposes. 

Miss  Spencer  wrote  from  Russia  and  told  us  of  increased  difficulties  since 
her  visit  two  years  ago,  of  less  freedom  and  liberty,  but  greater  needs.  Her 
call  was  for  an  American  or  British  secretary,  or  better  still,  two,  to  go  and  live 
in  Russia  and  quietly  work  toward  the  organization  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association.  Then  she  took  us  on  to  Bulgaria,  and  told  us  some  of  the 
needs  of  which  we  had  already  heard  through  the  two  Bulgarian  ladies  who 
came  to  Berlin,  and  have  since  sent  a  formal  request  to  the  World's  Executive 
Committee  to  organize  work  at  Sofia.  It  seems  that  our  Association  may  be  the 
very  neutral  ground  needed.  Representatives  of  the  Greek  Orthodox,  Roman 
Catholic,  and  Protestant  bodies  have  united  in  asking  for  a  hostel  for  their 
girls.  But  great  problems  must  be  faced,  and  this  must  be  done  slowly  and 
prayerfully.  Miss  Rouse  asks  if  we  are  prepared  to  grant  $2,500  a  year  for  two 
or  three  years  toward  an  efficient  hostel  for  students  and  a  secretary  for  Sofia. 
Here  is  a  worthy  object  for  our  extension  fund  for  which  we  have  had  one  gen- 
erous gift,  but  much  more  is  needed  to  meet  the  many  demands  which  come. 

An  interesting  report  was  given  of  the  travels  of  Miss  Knight  (another  of  our 
secretaries)  in  Austria  and  Hungary,  and  of  the  formation  of  an  Austrian  National 
Committee,  as  well  as  their  urgent  need  of  a  national  secretary.     One  touching 


Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton  29 

story  was  told  of  a  member  of  the  Association  in  Vienna,  who  had  been  in 
one  situation  for  twenty-five  years,  and  had  been  the  means  of  bringing  each  one 
of  her  employer's  family  to  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  That  humble  member  was 
an  incentive  to  us  all !  It  is  possible  that  both  Associations,  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  of  Austria  may 
help  to  bring  a  better  understanding  between  the  diflFering  races  and  Churches  in 
that  empire. 

The  Bishop  of  Uganda  came  to  meet  us  with  a  view  to  starting  Associa- 
tion work  in  Uganda,  leaving  us  to  have  a  conference  with  some  of  his  lead- 
ing women  workers  upon  the  subject.  This  glimpse  of  only  some  of  the  matters 
shows  you  how  wide  are  the  interests  and  how  great  is  the  need  in  many  countries. 

You  have  heard  how  you  have  helped  in  the  past,  and  I  am  here  to  thank 
you  in  the  name  of  the  World's  Committee  with  all  our  hearts.  But  we  want 
far  more  from  you  now.  The  faint  picture  of  some  of  the  needs  of  the  world 
I  have  painted  for  you  to-day.  Oh!  fill  it  in  with  your  powers  of  imagination. 
I  am  here  to  challenge  you  to  a  great  advance  in  prayer,  personal  service,  and 
money.  We  want  the  very  best  women.  We  want  the  younger  women  to  set 
themselves  to  become  the  very  best  in  building  up  their  own  character.  We  want 
women  of  administrative  ability  for  leadership,  for  all  parts  of  the  world.  We 
want  them  to  qualify  themselves  by  study  of  languages,  history,  psychology,  phys- 
ical training — in  fact,  equipment  on  every  side  is  needed;  but  first  they  must  be 
women  of  vision — great  faith,  great  patience,  great  hope,  great  courage,  great 
love,  great  practical  common  sense,  and  very  human.  Nothing  small  or  narrow 
will  do  for  to-day.  Does  not  this  appeal  to  you?  Surely,  in  the  greatness  of  the 
vision,  the  urgency  of  the  call,  and  the  variety  of  the  scope,  you  will  find  a  com- 
pelling irresistible  force  that  rouses  you  to  face  these  marvellous  opportunities. 
Women  are  needed  of  personal  consecration,  those  who  "  know  their  God,"  and 
therefore  can  "  do  exploits,"  those  who  are  not  afraid  of  the  way,  which  is  Christ 
himself,  but  who  are  only  afraid  of  losing  the  way,  those  who  are  followers  of 
him,  who  "  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  despised  the  cross."  But  ask  those 
who  have  been  doing  this  work  in  China,  in  Japan,  in  India,  they  tell  us  that  the 
joy  of  service  in  Christ's  name  for  their  sisters  is  so  great  that  they  urge  us  for- 
ward to  a  great  advance.  Will  you  make  it?  Will  each  one  here  ask  herself, 
"What  can  I  do?" 

It  has  lately  been  said  by  Sir  Edward  Grey,  the  British  Foreign  Secretary, 
in  reference  to  your  President's  suggestion  of  a  Treaty  of  Arbitration  between 
our  two  Anglo-Saxon  countries  (a  suggestion  which  has  been  met  with  great 
enthusiasm  on  our  side)  that  "what  is  impossible  for  one  generation  may  become 
possible  in  another."  It  is  rendered  more  possible  by  the  fact  that  one  generation 
presses  in  that  direction  even  though  it  fails  to  attain  the  goal.  Is  not  this  equally 
true  of  the  calls  I  have  laid  before  you? 

What  is  the  cause  of  our  comparative  failure?  Have  our  resources  been  in- 
sufficient, or  has  our  faith  been  weak,  or  our  love  too  small?  Have  we  turned 
from  the  great  adventure  because  we  have  not  courage?  Faith  is  not  ignoring 
difficulties  but  surmounting  them!     We  want  women  of  faith  and  women  of  prayer. 


30  Third  Biennial  Convention 

such  faith  in  God  as  will  call  us  each  to  reconsecrate  ourselves,  and  move  for- 
ward to  overcome  the  world  because  "I  can  do  all  things" — how  arrogant  this 
claim  sounds  without  the  words  that  complete  the  sentence — "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  me." 

Following  Mrs.  Tritton's  address  Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge  gave  a 
resume  of  the  Annual  Report  of  the  National  Board,  after  which  followed 
the  singing  of  hymn  95,  and  a  devotional  hour  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Prof. 
John  Henry  Strong,  of  Rochester  Theological  Seminary. 

Professor  Strong:  The  exultant  joy  of  Christianity,  I  had  almost  said,  the 
hilarity  of  Christianity.  I  asked  a  young  clergyman,  a  friend  of  mine,  what 
he  thought  of  that — for  a  subject — the  hilarity  of  religion.  He  did  not  like  the 
phrase.  I  presume  there  are  objections  to  it,  and  yet  this  certainly  is  true  that 
there  is  no  better  proof  of  the  purity  of  our  Christianity  than  its  power  to  give 
joy.  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord,  alway;  again  I  say  unto  you.  Rejoice."  "Ask  and 
receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  full."  "  These  things  I  have  spoken  unto  you  that 
my  joy  might  be  in  you  and  that  your  joy  might  be  full."  Why,  even  the  prophets 
and  kings  of  old,  who  looked  forward  to  the  glad  things  that  were  coming,  ex- 
pressed it  in  this  wise:  "Ye  shall  go  out  with  joy  and  be  led  forth  with  peace; 
the  mountains  and  the  hills  shall  break  forth  before  you  into  singing,  and  all 
the  trees  of  the  field  shall  clap  their  hands."  Christianity  is  the  religion  of  joy; 
and  may  I  bring  to  you  a  few  of  the  reasons  that  make  it  such? 

To  begin  with,  Christianity  is  the  religion  of  exultant  joy  because  it  frankly 
faces,  and  adequately  and  victoriously  handles,  that  greatest  of  all  our  problems 
and  enemies,  human  sin. 

There  are  three  ways  in  which  to  handle  the  sin  problem:  first,  disprove  it; 
second,  ignore  it;  third,  frankly  acknowledge  and  correct  it.  The  first  two  ways 
are  much  in  vogue  to-day.  In  our  colleges  many  of  our  young  men  and  women 
are  being  taught  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  sin;  that  that  which  a  man  once 
thought  he  committed  and  blushed  for,  he  never  committed,  in  any  proper  sense 
of  the  word,  at  all ;  that  what  we  call  "  sin  "  is  simply  the  outcropping  of  ten- 
dencies which  were  deposited  in  him  by  his  ancestors,  and  which  are  evoked  by 
the  proper  environment.  Not  this  man  sinned,  but  his  father  who  had  those  ten- 
dencies first;  not  his  father,  but  his  grandfather,  who  had  them  before  him;  not 
his  father  and  his  grandfather;  but  his  great-great-great-grandfather;  and  so  on, 
by  a  world-long  regression,  to  the  sea-slime  from  which  he  was  developed,  or  to 
the  God  who  made  him.  And  when  we  have  removed  sin  to  such  a  safe  distance 
from  man's  conscience  as  that,  we  might  just  as  well  stop  talking  about  sin  at  all. 

Under  a  schoolboy's  pillow  was  found  a  piece  of  paper  with  these  words 
inscribed  upon  it:  "God,  forgive  me  for  the  sin  I  am  about  to  commit."  But 
that  boy  was  disturbing  himself  unnecessarily.  He  had  not  learned  the  modern 
scientific  method  of  soothing  his  sinless  soul. 

Then,    if   we    don't    disprove    it,   we   may    ignore    it.      That    is    the    method    of 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  31 

Christian  Science,  with  its  smile  of  vacuous  blandness.  That  thing  of  which  we 
are  told  that  the  wages  is  death,  which  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  put 
away  at  the  price  of  his  life,  and  of  which  the  Apostle  John  says  that  if  we  say 
we  have  it  not,  we  deceive  ourselves  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us — that  thing,  we  are 
told,  does  not  exist,  except  in  the  mind  of  certain  tradition-ridden  people. 

Now,  what  I  like  about  Christianity  is  the  way  in  which  it  frankly  faces, 
and  then  with  the  poise  and  adequacy  of  a  superior  power,  handles  this  great- 
est of  our  enemies,  human  sin.  Is  there  a  more  splendid  sight  in  all  the  gospels, 
than  the  sight  of  Jesus  Christ  standing  over  that  poor  paralytic,  and  saying  in 
the  presence  of  his  deniers  and  calumniators,  "  That  ye  may  know  that  the  Son 
of  man  hath  power  to  forgive  sins.  He  saith  unto  the  sick  of  the  palsy.  Take  up 
thy  bed  and  go  into  thy  house."  Jesus  Christ  forgives  sin.  And  if  you  ask  me 
what  he  does  with  those  tendencies  to  evil  which  remain  after  sin  has  been  for- 
given, I  say  that  he  gives  the  man  that  handles  them  the  distraction  of  high 
thoughts  and  useful  activities;  he  implants  in  his  heart  the  certainty  of  cure, 
which,  as  every  wise  physician  knows,  is  more  than  half  the  battle;  and  in  those 
terrible  days  of  testing,  which  are  certain  to  come,  his  hand  of  strength  is  al- 
ways near. 

Christianity  is  the  religion  of  exultant  joy,  also,  because  it  implants  in  the 
soul  of  the  Christian  absolute  inner  certitude.  When  a  man  becomes  a  Christian 
he  has  not  become  a  walking  encyclopedia  of  religion,  with  all  his  problems  and 
questions  settled,  but  he  knows  that  that  old-time  constitutional  habit  that  kept 
him  forever  questioning  and   doubting  is   strangely,   absolutely  gone. 

Not  all  people  understand  this.  Some  are  perplexed,  even  irritated,  by  it. 
The  scientific  man,  who  ekes  his  slender  religion  out  of  the  observed  behavior 
of  molecules,  of  beetles,  of  beasts  and  birds,  cannot  understand  how  his  Chris- 
tian neighbor  can  have  such  a  certitude  as  this,  when  he,  so  much  more  learned, 
does  not  possess  it.  How  can  he  believe  in  the  Bible  in  the  face  of  modern  criti- 
cism? How  can  he  believe  in  prayer,  in  the  face  of  the  continuity  of  natural 
law?  How  can  he  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  when  he,  forsooth,  has 
written  a  book  of  wide  reputation  proving  that  the  body  of  Jesus  was  never  re- 
animated, but  stolen  by  the  disciples  or  by  the  gardener,  or  by  Joseph  of  Arima- 
thea,  or  by  some  one  else  whom  it  would  be  out  of  the  question  of  course  abso- 
lutely to  identify?  No,  this  must  be  merely  the  inertia,  stupidity  of  hopeless 
conservatism! 

And  yet  the  Christian  rests  on.  He  turns  to  the  First  Epistle  of  John  and 
reads:  "Hereby  know  we  that  we  know  him,"  and  he  says,  "Don't  we,  though!  " 
And  he  reads  a  little  further,  and  finds  the  words:  "Ye  have  an  anointing  that 
teacheth  you  all  things,  and  ye  need  not  that  any  man  teach  you  anything,  for 
the  anointing  which  you  have  received,  teacheth  you  all  things  and  is  no  lie." 
Or  he  turns  to  the  words  of  Jesus  that  "they  shall  all  be  taught  of  God,"  and 
he  says  that  God  must  have  taught  him,  for  this  certitude  never  came  from  him- 
self. Do  you  wonder  that  Christianity  is  a  religion  of  exultant  joy,  when  it  im- 
plants in  man  a  certitude  like  this? 

And    then,    Christianity    is    the    religion    of    exultant    joy    because    it    holds 


32  Third  Biennial  Convention 

before  the  Christian  the  prospect  of  final  perfect  character.  I  suppose  that  we 
would  all  agree  that  the  good  man,  all  things  considered,  and  in  the  long 
run,  is  happier  than  the  bad  man;  but  not  all,  perhaps,  realize  the  consequences 
that  are  involved  in  the  possibility  of  goodness.  I  mean  this,  that  no  man 
can  ever  have  caught  the  vision  of  final  perfect  character  and  then  be  happy 
anywhere  short  of  its  fulfillment.  The  penalty  of  the  coming  of  Jesus  Christ  into 
this  world  is  that  we  have  got  some  day  to  be  like  him  or  else  be  forever 
miserable. 

I  realize  that  this  can  be  disputed.  "  Where,"  some  one  will  say,  "  as  you 
survey  humanity  in  the  mass,  do  you  see  any  token  that  men  are  miserable  who 
are  not  taking  strides  toward  likeness  to  Christ?"  I  might,  with  equal  truth, 
disclaim  the  contrary.  You  cannot  tell  what  people  are  feeling  by  observing 
the  exterior.  But  I  content  myself  with  saying  that  some  of  us  have  caught 
the  vision  of  some  day  being  like  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  makes  Christianity  a 
religion  of  exultant  joy  to  us. 

And  if  you  ask  me  how  I  know  that  some  day  we  are  to  be  like  Jesus  Christ, 
I  might  answer  that  the  words  of  Jesus  Christ  himself  ought  to  be  authority. 
Yet  there  are  other  reasons.  And  here  let  me  say  that  the  Christian  is  one  who 
has  forever  graduated  from  the  foolish  notion  that  final  perfect  character  will 
ever  be  the  result  of  any  will  or  power  of  our  own.  If  character  is  the  product 
of  my  willing,  and  my  will  is  simply  the  expression  of  my  own  imperfect  self, 
then  no  willing  of  mine  will  ever  land  me  in  perfect  character,  either  in  time 
or  in  eternity.  No;  the  hope  of  the  Christian  of  final  perfect  character  rests  on 
no  human  power  of  his  own  or  sum  of  such  powers;  but  rather  on  the  assurance, 
already  partly  realized  in  experience,  that  another  greater  than  he  is  working 
for  him.  "  It  is  God  that  worketh  in  you,  both  to  will  and  to  work."  ..."  For 
we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works,  which  God 
before  ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them."  My  friends,  character  is  not 
won  by  directly  aiming  at  it;  it  is  the  by-product,  the  reward  of  those  who  de- 
vote themselves  to  their  Master's  service;  and  do  you  wonder  that  Christianity 
is  a  religion  of  exultant  joy,  when  it  sets  before  us  the  prospect  of  a  final  perfect 
character  like  this? 

Christianity  is  the  religion  of  exultant  joy,  once  more,  because  it  furnishes 
the  Christian  with  a  work,  a  mission,  at  once  absorbing  and  satisfying.  For 
work,  after  all,  these  pleasant  days  notwithstanding,  is  the  staple  of  our  lives; 
and  in  our  work  we  must  find  our  joy.  We  hear  a  great  many  good  things  said 
nowadays  about  the  gospel  of  work,  and  we  need  to  be  reminded  even  more  than 
we  are,  of  the  dignity  of  work,  and  how,  just  as  a  selfish  motive  may  drag  the 
noblest  enterprise  down  into  the  mire,  so  an  unselfish  motive  may  exalt  the  most 
menial  task  to  the  stars. 

But  what  impresses  me  most  about  this  is  that  a  man's  work  must  have  a 
touch  of  the  transcendent  in  it  if  it  is  to  finally  satisfy  him.  I  mean  that  a  man's 
work  must  be  done  in  sight  of  the  biggest  horizon  of  which  he  is  capable,  and  in 
reach  of  the  biggest  things  that  affect  him,  or  else,  at  some  time  or  other,  he  will 
awake  to  realize  that  his  work  was  beneath  him  and  that  his  life  has  been  wasted. 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  33 

Now  Jesus  Christ  meets  this  great  need  of  our  natures  by  linking  all  our 
activities  up  to  that  great  enterprise,  the  Kingdom  of  God — that  great  divine 
enterprise  which  organizes  all  our  activities  and  stamps  upon  them  the  seal  of 
the  eternal.  So  that  it  makes  little  difference  what  we  do,  whether  we  are  doc- 
tors, lawyers,  teachers  or  clergymen,  or  workers  in  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations,  or  cobblers — we  are  all  at  work  for  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The 
cobbler  is  making  shoes,  not  simply  for  time,  but  for  eternity,  for  by  his  toil 
he  is  satisfying  a  necessity  of  the  life  out  of  which  the  eternal  life  grows.  So 
he  is  not  merely  a  cobbler  but  a  king  and  a  priest  unto  God. 

How  well  I  remember  years  ago,  at  Northfield,  up  under  the  pines  of  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  camp,  hearing  Mr,  Moody  unfold  the 
leading  ideas  of  John's  Gospel.  He  came  to  that  seventh  chapter:  "If  any  man 
thirst  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink."  But  Christ  is  more  than  the  satisfaction 
of  every  life:  he  is  the  source  also  from  which  blessing  flows  to  others;  and  in 
what  abundance!  "Rivers  of  living  water."  Here,  up  in  the  hills,  is  a  little  trick- 
ling stream,  making  its  way  down  through  the  blades  of  grass,  and  the  little  birds 
come  down  to  drink.  It  goes,  gathering  strength,  and  passes  the  road  where  sits 
the  tired  wayfarer,  and  bathes  his  weary  hands  and  feet.  On  it  passes  to  the 
mill,  where  part  of  it  is  diverted  to  grind  the  grist  of  the  village  lying  near. 
On  it  goes,  growing  ever  wider,  past  the  great  city,  but  not  without  sending  up 
water  to  slack  its  thirst  and  lay  the  dust  of  its  busy  streets.  On  it  goes,  until  its 
shores  are  far  parted,  and  its  bosom  is  dotted  with  the  white-winged  birds  of 
commerce,  carrying  the  products  of  a  continent  to  lands  afar,  and  when  I  think 
that  you  and  I,  if  we  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  may  have  an  influence  like  that, 
I  pray  God  to  make  us  faithful  to  our  great  opportunity! 

My  friends,  do  you  wonder  that  Christianity  is  a  religion  of  exultant  joy, 
when  it  sets  before  a  person  such  a  work  and  such  a  mission  as  that?  There  is 
no  one  who  can  hold  his  head  so  high  as  the  Christian;  nor  is  there  anyone  who 
can  be  so  humble,  for  all  the  time  he  knows  that  not  he,  but  God,  has  wrought 
it  all! 

Professor  Strong's  address  was  followed  by  a  brief  season  of  prayer, 
after  which  the  Convention  took  recess  until  the  afternoon,  at  2,15  o'clock. 

Thursday  Afternoon 

The  Convention  met  at  2.15,  with  Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan,  First  Vice- 
President,  in  the  Chair.  Devotions  were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Joshua 
Stansfield,  pastor  of  the  Meridian  Street  M.  E.  Church,  of  Indianapolis. 

The  reports  of  territorial  secretaries  were  then  called  for  by  the  chair- 
man, Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds,  of  the  Department  of  Field  Work,  who 
preceded  the  chairmen  of  committees  with  a  brief  explanation  as  to  the 
reason  of  omitting  the  State  Committees'  reports.     She  said: 


34  Third  Biennial  Convention 

The  group  of  states  in  which  we  are  meeting,  which  has  had  the  record  of 
such  magnificent  and  thorough  state  work,  from  the  first  days  of  our  organiza- 
tion until  now,  were  the  strongest  state  organizations  throughout  the  country,  and 
therefore,  in  planning  the  work  of  territorial  organization,  we  felt  that  we  should 
take  those  parts  of  the  country  where  the  work  was  weakest,  and  that  the  work 
as  a  whole  would  suffer  far  less  if  we  left  state  organization  in  the  states  which 
were  carrying  on  that  work  well  and  efficiently,  and  occupied  ourselves  as  a  field 
work  department  with  the  states  which  were  uncertain  of  their  organizations, 
more  or  less,  and  which  were  themselves  querying  how  they  could  make  their 
state  work  stronger. 

There  are  submitted,  therefore,  the  reports  of  the  chairmen  of  nine  territorial 
committees,  which  are  under  the  direction  and  supervision  of  the  National  Board. 
It  is  admittedly  not  a  complete  report  of  the  entire  supervisory  work  of  the  Na- 
tional Board,  but  presents  facts  which  we  are  confident  you  desire  to  know,  which 
are  helpful  and  illuminating,  and  the  National  Board  has  farthest  from  its  thought 
any  ignoring  or  failure  to  recognize  the  work  of  the  states,  which  are  carrying 
on  their  work  so  faithfully  and  so  well  under  state  organization,  but  which  do 
not  appear  on  the  programme  to-day. 


Reports  from  Chairmen  of  Territorial  Committees  of  the  National 
Board,  were  read,  as  follows: 

NORTHEASTERN    TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE 

Headquarters,  New  York  City 

Date  of   Organization,   October,   1909 

The  history  of  the  first  two  years  of  the  Northeastern  Territorial  Committee 
proves  the  truth  of  the  old  adage — "  In  union  is  strength." 

Soon  after  the  last  Biennial  Convention,  with  the  advice  of  the  National  Board, 
representatives  of  the  two  Territorial  Committees,  the  one  for  New  England, 
the  other  for  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  met  to  consider  reorganization.  They 
decided  to  unite  as  one  committee.  So,  in  October,  1909,  this  Northeastern  Terri- 
torial Committee  was  organized  with  fifty  members,  thirty-five  of  whom  are 
resident,  and  fifteen  non-resident.  Most  of  the  members  were  from  the  two  former 
committees,  and  many  have  given  much  time  and  thought  to  the  work,  cooperating 
with  the  secretaries  in  the  diflFerent  departments,  doing  finance  work,  or  speak- 
ing at  conferences  and  other  meetings.  At  first  we  had  six  secretaries,  which 
number  has  been  increased  to  seven,  besides  four  foreign  secretaries  in  India.  Our 
office  is  in  New  York  City,  next  door  to  the  National  Board,  for  which  location 
we  are  very  grateful. 

Under  the  City  Department,  we  now  have  fifty-one  city  Associations.  Of 
these,  three  have  been  organized  in  the  last  two  years,  and  are  very  encour- 
aging in  their  growth:  Batavia,  New  York;   New  Britain,  Connecticut;   and  New 


Business  of  the  Convention  35 

Bedford,  Massachusetts.  Also,  it  means  a  great  deal  to  us  that  the  Boston  Asso- 
ciation has  just  become  affiliated  with  the  National  Board,  and  thus  becomes 
a  strong  addition  to  the  territory. 

A  most  important  piece  of  work  has  been  accomplished  in  the  organization 
of  a  Metropolitan  System  for  New  York  City.  The  two  existing  Associations, 
Fifteenth  Street  and  Harlem,  with  their  branches,  agreed  to  unite  under  a  new 
charter,  with  a  Central  Board  of  Directors  and  Board  of  Trustees.  The  French 
Association,  and  the  clubs  for  nurses  and  art  students  have  also  joined  this  new 
organization,  and  a  large,  united  work  for  the  whole  city  is  being  planned. 

Besides  giving  much  time  and  work  to  these  new  organizations,  our  secre- 
taries have  helped  in  several  building  and  finance  campaigns,  and  in  developing 
new  departments  and  strengthening  the  old.  Holyoke  and  Newark  have  carried 
on  successful  building  campaigns  for  new  buildings,  Brooklyn  is  in  the  midst  of 
a  similar  campaign  at  present,  and  other  cities  have  also  secured  new  buildings, 
or  are  planning  to  in  the  near  future. 

The  finances  of  the  Associations,  in  regard  to  current  expenses,  are  now 
in  far  better  condition,  at  least  seven  cities  having  raised  their  budget  a  year 
in  advance.  A  number  of  city  Associations  carry  on  work  in  more  than  one 
center,  and  forty-two  own  their  buildings.  There  are  twenty-seven  equipped 
gymnasiums  and  twenty-seven  lunch  rooms. 

In  the  Industrial  Department,  there  are  twenty-one  city  Associations  doing 
extension  work  in  factories  with  special  workers,  and  seventy-four  clubs  in 
factories.  Ninety-seven  factories  are  entered  every  week.  Three  new  indus- 
trial centers  have  been  gained;  one  in  the  factory  of  the  General  Electric  Company 
at  Harrison,  New  Jersey,  one  in  the  Standard  Silk  Mills  at  Phillipsburgh,  New 
Jersey,  and  work  has  been  renewed  in  the  Mohawk  Cap  Factory,  Utica,  New  York. 
Several  Associations  have  added  industrial   departments. 

In  the  student  field  we  have  fifty-four  Associations,  in  universities,  col- 
leges, normal,  secondary  and  preparatory  schools.  The  main  emphasis  has  been 
laid  on  the  fact  that  religion  must  be  a  vital  part  of  every  student's  whole  life. 
Syracuse  University  and  Teachers'  College  now  have  secretaries  of  their  own, 
while  Cornell  and  Barnard  are  seeking  secretaries. 

The  Studio  Club  of  New  York  has  grown  steadily,  and  now  rents  a  large 
house  which  is  a  home  and  a  social  and  inspirational  center  for  many  of  the 
students  of  art,  music,  and  drama,  a  large  struggling  class  of  girls  often  much 
neglected  in  the  metropolis.  This  club  is  meeting  such  a  real  need  that  we  are 
at  present  helping  to  organize  a  similar  work  in  Boston,  another  needy  stu- 
dent field. 

The  Central  Club  for  Nurses  has  been  organized  in  New  York  City,  with 
the  National  Board's  help,  and  a  year  ago  rented  two  houses  as  a  home,  social 
center,  and  central  registry  for  nurses.  The  spiritual  side  has  also  been  em- 
phasized, and  Bible  classes  are  held  for  nurses  in  many  hospitals  with  much 
success.  The  club  is  growing  fast,  and  is  much  appreciated  by  an  ever  larger 
number  of  nurses. 

Recreation   work   is   growing.     Eleven   cities   have    summer   camps,    and    this 


36  Third  Biennial  Convention 

year,  the  Territorial  Committee  is  opening  a  large  camp  at  Altaraont,  New  York, 
the  gift  of  Mrs.  Christie,  who  started  and  conducted  it  in  a  wonderful  way  for 
thirteen  years.  This  beautiful  place,  in  the  mountains  near  Albany,  accommo- 
dating two  hundred  girls  at  a  time,  with  its  out-door  recreation  and  inspiration, 
gives  us  a  great  opportunity  to  bring  a  more  abundant  life  to  the  girls  of  our 
cities.  Our  Industrial  Secretary  will  have  charge  of  the  camp,  working  with  the 
Summer  Camp  Committee,  and  we  hope  to  have  many  volunteer  workers,  such  as 
college  girls,  to  help. 

The  Newark  Association  has  opened  a  recreation  center  in  that  city,  where 
four  thousand  girls  were  entertained  last  summer. 

A  new  problem  facing  us  is  the  organizing  of  County  Associations,  to  meet 
the  needs  of  girls  in  the  country  and  small  towns.  Many  districts  have  asked 
for  help.  One  such  Association  has  already  been  established  at  Lakewood,  New 
Jersey.  Conferences  for  county  work  have  been  held  at  Newton,  New  Jersey, 
and  at  Westfield,  New  York.  In  Westfield,  we  are  hoping  to  organize  a  County 
Association  for  Chautauqua  County  this  spring. 

Another  urgent  field  is  among  immigrant  women,  as  most  of  the  hordes  com- 
ing to  this  country  enter  by  the  Northeastern  Territory.  The  National  Board 
has  started  work  for  immigrants  in  New  York  City,  which  will  be  given  over 
to  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  the  City.  In  many  of  our  city  Associations  there 
are  classes  in  English  for  foreigners.  Binghamton,  New  York,  has  a  separate 
center  for  Slavok  girls  in  the  foreign  district. 

Under  our  Foreign  Department  are  four  experienced  secretaries  in  India, 
who  are  supported  by  our  local  Associations.  Through  our  office,  these  As- 
sociations are  kept  in  touch  with  the  Indian  work  by  correspondence  and 
speakers.  Miss  Mary  Hill,  in  her  visits  through  the  territory  this  winter,  has 
awakened  such  interest  that  many  Associations  have  doubled  or  tripled  their 
subscriptions  for  India.  Miss  Hill  has  also  raised,  by  personal  solicitations,  the 
larger  part  of  the  $30,000  for  a  much-needed  Association  building  at  Lahore. 

Our  Training  Center,  with  its  course  of  three  months,  divided  between  lec- 
tures at  the  office,  and  practical  work  in  nearby  Associations,  had  six  students  in 
1909,  and  thirteen  in  1910.   Almost  all  of  these  girls  now  have  secretarial  positions. 

In  the  last  two  years,  five  sectional  conferences  have  been  held  for  students, 
and  five  for  city  Associations.  This  year,  we  held  only  one  city  conference, 
in  New  York  City,  to  which  came  four  hundred  delegates  from  all  parts  of  the 
territory;  and  we  had  many  helpful  speakers,  besides  meetings  for  free  discussion. 

Under  this  large  territorial  organization,  more  work  has  been  accomplished, 
and  a  more  efficient  staff  of  secretaries  secured  than  was  possible  before.  The 
office  management,  including  all  the  finance  work,  has  been  developed  in  a  much 
more  economical,  businesslike  way,  and  it  seems  to  us,  that,  in  spite  of  the  diffi- 
culties arising  from  long  distances,  this  organization  has  been  a  success  in  the 
Northeast.  We  hope  that  all  parts  of  our  territory  are  benefiting  from  the  cen- 
tralized work.  We  feel,  at  least,  that  the  largeness  of  the  field,  and  the  expe- 
rience gained  in  so  many  varying  Associations,  will  more  and  more  be  a  help 
and  inspiration  to  all.     With  the  same   secretary  traveling  through   many  states. 


Business  of  the  Convention  37 

there   is  a   great   interchange  of   ideas   and   good   methods   between   all  the   Asso- 
ciations. 

We  realize  how  great  the  field  is,  and  how  little  we  have  yet  done,  but  with 
God's  help  we  hope  to  accomplish  more  in  the  Master's  service  during  the  next 
two  years. 


TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE    FOR    VIRGINIA    AND    THE    CAROLINAS 

Headquarters,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Date   of  Organization,   October,   1908 

I  bring  you  greetings  from  the  Territorial  Committee  of  Virginia,  North  and 
South  Carolina.  We  may  call  ourselves  the  "  country  cousin  "  among  the  terri- 
torial groups;  there  are  no  large  cities  in  this  field,  our  people  live  mostly  in 
rural  communities,  in  towns  or  villages.  This  fact  differentiates  our  work  some- 
what from  that  of  many  other  territories.  There  is  another  fact  which  is  to 
be  emphasized  in  order  that  you  may  understand  our  field;  namely,  that  our  ter- 
ritory is  the  most  intensely  conservative  part  of  the  whole  country,  and  therefore 
the  least  ready  to  undertake  new  forms  of  activity.  It  has  sometimes  been  asked 
why  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  should  have  made  more  rapid  prog- 
ress in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  than  our  work  has  done.  The  answer  is  very 
clear  to  those  of  us  on  the  inside;  it  is  because  the  center  of  conservatism  in 
those  states  is  their  attitude  to  what  we  may  call  the  "  woman  question."  Their 
people  are  distinctly  hostile  to  the  "new  woman,"  and  jealous  of  anything  that 
seems  to  encourage  her  evolution.  For  instance,  in  most  cities  we  have  no  op- 
portunity of  bringing  our  work  before  the  churches  because  women  cannot  speak 
before  mixed  audiences,  and  therefore  cannot  secure  financial  co-operation  through 
that  channel. 

It  is  evident,  then,  that  more  perhaps  than  in  most  other  places  the  young 
women  of  our  territory  need  the  training  offered  by  the  Association,  to  fit  them 
to  meet  the  changing  conditions  of  the  twentieth  century. 

And  now,  having  suggested  our  especial  environment,  with  its  problems  and 
difficulties,  let  me  say  that  the  two  years  which  have  passed  since  the  last  Biennial, 
have  been  in  our  territory  years  of  slow  but  steady  growth.  Let  these  figures 
speak  for  us: 

In  1909,  officers  employed  in  the  three  states 20 

In  1911,  officers  employed    31 

In  1909,  local  student  secretary   1 

In  191 1,  local   student  secretaries    3 

We  have  organized  in  the  last  two  years  five  new  student  Associations  (two 
of  these  in  new  State  Normal  Schools  which  asked  for  Associations  at  the  very 
beginning  of  their  work)  ;  one  new  mill  village  Association;  one  new  city  Asso- 
ciation; one  department  store  entered;  two  new  factory  centers  entered  for  noon 
work.     The  entire  support  of  two  foreign  missionaries  has  been  furnished  by  two 


38  Third  Biennial  Convention 

of  our  college  Associations;  our  first  Country  Club  has  been  opened,  and  our 
first  playground;  a  summer  camp  established  for  the  territory,  and  rendered  self- 
supporting. 

In  addition  to  these  definite  advances,  we  see  the  results  of  the  two  years' 
work  in  the  recognition  that  is  beginning  to  come  to  us  from  people  whose  co- 
operation has  been  slow  to  win.  Recently  a  prominent  minister  said  in  a  public 
address:  "  If  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  should  close  its  doors, 
we  should  have  to  set  about  immediately  organizing  anew  such  an  Association 
to  do  the  institutional  work  of  the  churches."  Business  men  are  beginning  to 
say:  "I  appreciate  your  work."  Newspapers,  which  have  always  been  loyal,  are 
not  only  printing  everything  that  we  offer  them,  but  are  asking  frequently  for 
Association  material.  Two  subscriptions  of  one  hundred  dollars  each  have 
been  volunteered  this  last  year.  The  furnished  mountain  home  for  our  summer 
camp  was  also  a  voluntary  gift — another  proof  that  the  appreciation  of  our  work 
is  growing.  We  feel  now  that  at  the  end  of  several  years  of  reconstruction,  we 
have  the  whole  work  in  satisfactory  shape  and  are  ready  to  begin  constructive 
activity  in  the  field.  There  is  still  cause  for  anxiety  in  our  finance  outlook; 
prejudices  still  to  be  met;  ignorance  still  to  be  overcome,  and,  most  discouraging 
of  all,  indifference  is  still  to  be  found,  especially  toward  supervisory  work  which 
people  find  it  hard  to  comprehend.  While  this  continues  to  be  the  situation,  the 
generous  monetary  support  that  we  need,  and  must  have  to  do  our  work  success- 
fully, is  not  apparently  within  our  reach.  For  this  reason  (the  lack  of  intelligent 
co-operation  and  of  sufficient  support)  our  Territorial  Committee  still  goes  rather 
haltingly  with  only  three  overworked  secretaries,  where  we  should  have  at 
least  five. 

In  closing,  allow  me  to  say  that  in  every  step  of  our  work  we  have  found 
a  source  of  strength  in  our  close  connection  with  the  National  Board.  Their 
patience  with  us,  their  sympathetic  understanding  of  our  difficulties,  their  advice 
and  co-operation  have  made  possible  the  carrying  of  burdens  that  otherwise  might 
have  frightened  our  small  committee  away  from  work. 

Throughout  our  whole  field  we  have  been  benefited  by  the  constant  educa- 
tional advantages  offered  from  time  to  time  by  our  close  connection  with  the 
national  secretaries;  and  in  entering  new  places,  the  fact  of  our  being  an  in- 
tegral part  of  the  National  Board  has  prepared  the  way  for  us.  As  an  instance 
of  this  latter  I  may  quote  the  sentiment  of  a  woman  in  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  a 
city  which  we  have  just  been  invited  to  enter;  she  said,  "If  the  National  Board 
is  back  of  this  movement,  we  may  be  sure  of  success." 

Feeling  this  strength  themselves,  the  Territorial  Committee  of  Virginia,  North 
and  South  Carolina  send,  through  their  chairman,  hearty  thanks  to  our  gracious 
President  and  her  co-workers  for  all  the  kindness  and  efficient  service  received  from 
them  in  the  past  two  years. 


Business  of  the  Convention  39 

TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE    FOR    DELAWARE,    MARYLAND,    AND 

PENNSYLVANIA 

Headquarters,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Date  of  Organization,  October,  1907 

In  attempting  to  give  a  report  of  this  territory  which  I  have  had  the  honor 
of  serving  for  days  only,  I  feel  somewhat  the  perplexity  which  I  fancy  a  step- 
mother must  experience  when  suddenly  she  finds  herself  in  possession  of  a  full- 
grown  family,  and  is  told  to  write  their  biography.  She  is  so  overwhelmed  with 
the  abundance  of  her  possession  that  she  may  be  pardoned  a  moment's  admiration 
before  she  plunges  into  their  past  history.  In  the  few  minutes  allowed  for  this 
report  we  shall  attempt  to  speak  briefly  of  our  field  with  its  interesting  char- 
acteristics, the  needs,  and  how  they  are  being  met,  and  the  opportunities  for  de- 
velopment in  the  future. 

Will  you  think  with  me  for  a  moment  of  that  part  of  the  map  of  the  United 
States  which  our  territory  comprises?  Delaware,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania, 
with  mountains  and  rivers,  large  cities  and  country  villages,  and  mining  camps 
all  closely  bound  together  by  a  network  of  railways  making  every  part  easily 
accessible.  You  will  realize  that  although  we  are  the  smallest  in  area — 59,475 
square  miles — yet  in  density  of  population  we  stand  third  on  the  list,  with 
9,162,779  people — the  Northeastern  (18,203,462)  and  the  South  Central  (10,988,866) 
holding  first  and   second   place. 

Certain  characteristics  which  mark  this  territory  and  especially  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania  are  none  the  less  interesting  because  they  are  familiar.  To  save 
time,  let  me  state  briefly  a  few  facts: 

1.  We  have  a  country  population — two  thirds  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania 
live  outside  of  towns  of  2,500  or  more  population. 

2.  Twenty  per  cent  of  the  immigrants  entering  this  country  settle  in  Penn- 
sylvania alone. 

3.  The  leading  industries  are  manufacturing,  mining,  and  agriculture. 
Nearly  600,000  bread  winners — women — are  employed  in  the  territory — 450,000  are 
in  Pennsylvania  alone,  the  highest  number  in  any  state  except  New  York.  The 
total  number  comprises  twenty-two  per  cent  of  the  population. 

4.  Educationally,  the  predominance  of  normal  schools  constitutes  our  chief 
problem. 

The   Needs  and  How   They   are  Met. 

The  work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  includes  twenty-one 
city  Associations,  forty-seven  Associations  in  colleges,  normal  schools,  and  sem- 
inaries, with  five  boards  of  reference  in  private  schools;  and  five  Associations 
in  industrial  towns,  where  the  company  co-operates  with  equipment  and  money. 
Since  1909  two  city  Associations  have  been  organized,  in  Washington  and  Easton, 


40  Third  Biennial  Convention 

and  an  industrial  Association  at  Hershey.  Three  new  student  Associations — 
Washington  Seminary,  University  of  Pittsburgh,  and  Swarthmore  College  have 
been  added  to  our  list. 

City  IVork. 

New  buildings  in  Pittsburgh,  Scranton,  and  Wilkes-Barre  have  given  the  work 
in  those  cities  its  place  as  the  center  of  all  the  women's  activities  of  the  city,  and 
have  made  the  work  grow  in  every  department  because  of  adequate  equipment 
as  well  as  increased  staff.  The  gift  of  the  Crozier  Annex  in  Philadelphia  has 
enabled  the  Association  in  that  city  to  give  a  home  to  a  hundred  more  girls. 

The  growth  of  the  Association  in  cities  throughout  the  territory  is  shown 
in  the  increased  co-operation  with  other  social  agencies,  the  recognition  of  the  As- 
sociation by  the  church,  as  seen  in  the  Missionary  Jubilee,  and  the  inaugu- 
ration of  the  student  departments  where  alumnae  of  the  schools  and  colleges  are 
becoming  a  part  of  the  city  work. 

In  Sunbury,  Easton,  and  Altoona,  larger  buildings  have  been  rented  to  re- 
place the  rented  rooms  where  the  work  was  begun,  while  in  three  cities  plans  are 
already   under   way   for   new   buildings. 

Industrial  Work. 

In  this  department  during  the  past  two  years  has  come  the  reaping  time  after 
years  of  work.  Extension  committees  have  become  better  organized  and  trained 
for  service,  and  the  volunteer  worker  has  taken  her  place  as  the  real  represen- 
tative, while  the  extension  secretary  has  become  the  social  engineer,  directing  and 
inspiring  the  force,  in  one  city  of  as  many  as  fifty-four  volunteer  workers.  Co- 
operation with  public  libraries  of  all  the  cities,  with  branches  in  hundreds  of  fac- 
tories, with  provident  savings  funds,  with  the  Consumers'  League  in  encouraging 
early  Christmas  shopping,  and  with  settlements  and  playground  Associations  makes 
the  extension  department  a  real  agency  for  social  betterment  in  the  industrial  life 
of  the  cities. 

Companies  are  turning  to  us  to  help  them  in  welfare  work  among  their  em- 
ployees, and  one  welfare  worker  has  been  installed  in  a  large  factory  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  extension  secretary.  Ground  is  now  being  broken  for  a 
recreation  building  for  men  and  women  of  another  factory,  to  be  supervised  by 
the  company's  worker  in  co-operation  with  the  extension  department  of  that  city. 
Another  similar  building  is  being  planned  in  a  neighboring  city  for  a  similar 
work,  while  in  Philadelphia  a  building  is  being  remodeled  to  be  used  as  a  club 
house  under  the  direction  of  an  industrial  secretary  soon  to  be  called.  An  ex- 
periment in  department  store  work  has  resulted  in  a  large  work  in  one  store  of 
one  city — a  piece  of  unlabeled  social  service  to  the  firm  and  employees.  A  club 
center  in  the  residence  district  of  another  city  brings  together  hundreds  of  girls 
from  many  factories  to  a  place  where  the  four-fold  Association  activities  are 
carried  on — an  extension  of  the  central  work. 


Business  of  the  Convention  41 


Student. 


In  the  forty-seven  student  Associations  with  a  membership  of  4,239,  and 
a  Bible  and  mission  study  enrollment  of  2,314,  there  is  still  much  to  be  desired. 
How  to  help  the  student  girl  to  the  realization  of  a  religion  that  is  real  and  vital 
instead  of  conventional,  is  the  real  need  in  many  cases.  In  the  Normal  Schools, 
with  their  crowded  programmes  and  constantly  changing  personnel,  it  has  been 
difficult  to  make  the  results  permanent.  It  is  most  important,  however,  that  we 
cultivate  the  field,  as  it  is  a  solution  to  the  problem  of  the  county  work.  In 
the  normal  school  graduate  lies  the  hope  of  bringing  the  Association  to  the 
county  girl.  Names  of  all  seniors  living  in  towns  where  there  is  a  city  organiza- 
tion are  sent  to  the  general  secretary  of  that  place,  and  each  year  the  students 
are  showing  most  definite  interest  in  social  service.  Some  are  able  to  give  per- 
sonal service  in  city  work,  others  contribute  to  the  salary  of  the  industrial  secre- 
tary, while  almost  all  send  a  box  of  clothes  or  toys  to  city  mission  workers  during 
the  year. 

Secretarial. 

The  territorial  committee  has  used  in  its  training  center  two  different  plans. 
In  Pittsburgh  and  Baltimore  we  have  used  the  plans  suggested  by  the  secretarial 
department  of  placing  the  whole  training  course  in  the  local  Associations.  This 
last  term  we  used  the  Ohio  and  West  Virginia  plan,  giving  the  students  two 
months'  work  in  local  Associations  and  bringing  them  to  headquarters  for  a 
month's  lectures. 

We  have  realized  the  difficulty  in  securing  secretaries  for  our  vacancies,  but 
have  been  able  to  assist  in  placing  eighteen  secretaries  during  these  last  two  years 
— nine  general,  three  physical  directors,  and  six  student  secretaries. 

Staff. 

The  staff  of  the  committee  has  never  been  complete  at  any  time,  but  the  exe- 
cutive, industrial,  student,  and  office  secretaries  with,  for  a  little  over  a  year, 
the  city  and  county  worker,  have  carried  the  large  work.  Because  of  the  varied 
interests  of  our  field,  all  of  these  secretaries  have  been  much  needed.  Every 
affiliated  Association  has  requested  the  help  of  the  committee  from  one  to  five 
times  during  these  two  years. 

Foreign. 

We  have  never  yet  raised  the  full  $1,300  for  South  America  which  we  have 
hoped  for,  but  there  has  been  an  increase  this  year  due  to  the  interest  aroused  by 
Miss  Batty's  visits. 

Conference  and  Conventions. 

Our  territory  has  been  fairly  well  represented  at  the  summer  conferences 
both  years.  With  the  co-operation  of  the  National  Board  we  have  held  five  city 
institutes ;  two  student  sectional  conferences ;  one  secretarial  conference ;  five  in- 


42  Third  Biennial  Convention 

dustrial  conferences;  one  private  school  conference;  one  general  city,  Reading; 
one  general  territorial,  Wilkes-Barre.  There  are  many  reasons  why  we  are  still 
dependent  upon  these  territorial  conferences,  but  we  realize  each  year  they  should 
have  some  change  in  representation,  presentation  of  work,  and  length  of  pro- 
gramme. 

Camp. 

For  two  years  the  committee  has  established  a  camp  for  the  self-supporting 
women  of  the  territory.  This  has  been  well  attended,  and  has  proven  its  reason 
for  existence  by  the  inspiration  given  to  the  guests,  and  the  renewed  activity  in 
the  Associations  to  which  the  guests  have   returned. 

Opportunities. 

There  are  seven  cities  large  enough  for  immediate  organization.  Two  ports 
©f  entry  make  immigrant  work  on  a  large  scale  imperative  if  the  Association 
is  to  meet  this  need  among  the  immigrant  women.  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and 
Pittsburgh,  with  their  large  student  population,  challenge  us  for  work  among  the 
professional  women  and  many  private  schools  are  open  to  us  for  organization, 
while  the  demands  for  larger  industrial  work  must,  of  necessity,  grow  more 
numerous  year  by  year.  To  meet  the  growing  need,  not  only  must  our  budget 
be  largely  increased  and  our  staff  completed,  but  our  committee  must  be  built  up 
far  beyond  its  present  number. 


TERRITORIAL   COMMITTEE    FOR   OHIO   AND   WEST   VIRGINIA 

Headquarters,  Cincinnati,  Ohio 
Date  of   Organization,   October,    1907 

It  was  the  privilege  of  the  present  chairman  of  the  Territorial  Committee 
for  Ohio  and  West  Virginia  to  be  the  chairman  of  the  Provisional  Committee 
when  the  proposal  was  made  in  1907  that  West  Virginia  leave  her  mother  state 
and  become  united  with  Ohio  in  the  work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociations. The  proposal  was  favorably  looked  upon  by  most  of  the  Associa- 
tions, but  there  was  an  evident  love  in  West  Virginia  for  the  motherland  and 
a  little  hesitation  or  heartache  was  occasionally  manifest.  It  was  felt,  however, 
that  the  union  of  this  smaller  state  with  one  so  much  larger  would  prove  to  be 
an  inspiration  and  uplift,  and  that  more  and  better  work  would  be  accomplished. 
It  was  also  felt  that  the  work  in  Ohio  would  be  stimulated,  a  broader  horizon 
would  be  given  and  a  new  impetus,  by  the  addition  of  this  neighboring  state. 

What  have  been  the  results  of  our  territorial  work? 

In  the  first  place,  the  Territorial  Committee  has  been  greatly  strengthened 
by  the  coming  into  its  membership  of  those  connected  with  both  city  and  student 
work  in  West  Virginia. 


Business  of  the  Convention  43 

The  Annual  Territorial  Conference,  the  Summer  Conferences  and  the  Asso- 
ciation Workers'  Institutes  held  in  different  sections  of  the  territory  have  suc- 
ceeded in  amalgamating  the  entire  work.  The  Institutes  for  the  volunteer  work- 
ers especially  have  given  opportunity  for  the  discussion  of  questions  pertinent  to 
the  special  field  where  the  Institute  was  held,  and  the  presence  of  the  national 
secretaries  has  given  a  wider  vision  and  a  clearer  outlook  upon  the  wonderful 
opportunities  that  lie  before  the  women  of  our  land,  and  has  helped  to  overcome 
provincialism  and  narrowness  by  acquainting  us  with  the  problems  of  other  As- 
sociations. 

We  have  been  inspired  and  helped  by  the  coming  of  the  earnest  young  women 
from  the  colleges  of  West  Virginia  to  our  Annual  Conferences,  and  they  have 
repeatedly  assured  us  that  they  have  taken  home  with  them  fresh  zeal  and  new 
consecration,  and  a  surer  comprehension  of  the  vastness  of  our  work.  This  has 
been  true  of  the  Ohio  young  women  also,  and  they  have  been  made  eager  to 
enter  at  once  into  the  work  of  the  city  Associations  as  soon  as  college  life 
was  ended. 

The  touch  with  the  national  secretaries  who  are  experts  in  their  various  de- 
partments, the  touch  with  the  world  movements,  and  the  knowledge  of  our  affilia- 
tion with  a  movement  recognized  as  the  most  thoroughly  and  best  organized  in 
our  entire  land,  and  one  conducted  with  the  most  statesmanlike  ability,  have 
given  importance  to  and  confidence  in  our  work,  so  that  men  of  affairs  could 
be  more  easily  approached  and  were  more  willing  to  contribute  to  our  organization. 

Interest  has  been  awakened  in  our  industrial  condition  and  in  the  need  of 
county  work.  Both  Ohio  and  West  Virginia  are  demanding  these  forms  of  or- 
ganization, and  have  been  stimulated  to  desire  it  through  our  territorial  work  in 
affiliation  with  the  National  Board.  We  are  ready  to  put  in  at  once  both  a  county 
and  an  industrial  secretary  as  soon  as  the  secretaries  themselves  can  be  secured. 

Another  feature  of  our  work  has  been  the  Training  Center  held  each  year 
during  the  month  of  December.  It  has  attracted  earnest  young  women  who  have 
thus  taken  the  initial  step  toward  thorough  equipment  for  secretarial  work. 

Because  of  the  union  of  these  two  states  we  have  been  able  to  carry  a  much 
larger  foreign  work  than  would  otherwise  have  been  possible.  For  three  years 
we  have  assumed  the  support  of  Miss  Agnes  Gale  Hill  in  India,  and  this  year 
have  taken  upon  ourselves  the  support  of  her  new  work  as  Vernacular  Traveling 
Secretary  with  headquarters   at  Lucknow. 

The  unity  of  methods  and  ideals  in  the  work  of  the  Territorial  Committee 
has  made  the  experimental  work  in  our  territory  of  value  in  other  territories. 

It  is  true  also  that  the  opportunities  and  possibilities  worked  out  through  our 
national  secretaries  and  brought  through  them  to  the  territories  arouse  a  whole- 
some discontent  at  small  results  and  an  aspiration  toward  the  highest  achieve- 
ment.    Our  joint  work  has  been  a  benediction. 

Through  our  staff  at  headquarters  we  have  endeavored  to  make  the  office 
a  real  bureau  of  information,  and  to  weld  together  the  student  forces  of  Ohio 
and  West  Virginia  into  an  army  of  enthused  young  womanhood  in  touch  with 
world-wide  ideals  and  world-wide  movements,  and  eager  for  work  that  will  tell, 


44  Third  Biennial  Convention 

ready  for  sacrifice,  Bible-reading  mission-loving,  service-wanting  young  women. 
Through  the  executive  secretary  we  have  endeavored  to  accomplish  the  same 
results  among  the  city  constituency.  Nearly  every  city  Association  in  both  states 
has  called  upon  her  for  her  aid  and  advice.  Months  of  time  have  necessarily 
been  spent  in  this  way,  but  the  results  have  been  marked,  and  the  Associations 
bear  indisputable  testimony  to  the  benefit  of  the  territorial  work.  .  .  . 

It  is  natural  that  the  greatest  amount  of  help  should  have  been  asked  for 
by  the  newer  Associations,  but  the  work  has  not  been  confined  to  these.  One 
of  our  older  organizations  found  itself,  at  the  beginning  of  our  territorial  work, 
in  a  most  peculiar  and  critical  situation,  one  which  only  an  outsider  could  handle. 
It  is  the  testimony  of  the  members  of  the  board  of  this  Association  that  the 
assistance  given  by  the  Field  Work  Committee  of  the  National  Board  has  been 
invaluable  in  solving  their  problem  and  in  creating  confidence  in  Association 
principles,  and  also  in  suggesting  methods  of  procedure. 

The  Association  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  through  its  President  voices 
its  appreciation  in  the  following  words:  "My  first  real  insight  into  the  true 
Association  spirit  came  from  the  Territorial  Conference  I  attended  at  Cincinnati, 
and  there  has  been  no  time  since  then  that  I  have  not  realized  the  great  benefit 
that  has  come  to  our  Association,  and  to  myself  as  its  President,  because  of  affilia- 
tion with  the   larger  organization. 

"  Our  board  members  who  attended  the  Conference  at  Akron  came  home  filled 
with  something  of  the  same  spirit,  and  as  we  come  to  know  more  of  what  the 
territorial  work  may  mean  to  us  as  an  Association,  in  that  degree  will  we 
appreciate  the  benefit  of  being  allied  with  a  larger  and  more  effective  state 
organization  and  be  able,  through  the  counsel  and  help  of  the  Territorial  Com- 
mittee, to  bring  the  work  and  standing  of  the  individual  Association  to  such  a 
high  standard  as  would  not  otherwise  be  possible." 

The  Outstanding  Achievements   of  the   Territorial   Committee  for   Ohio  and 
West  Virginia  since  Organization  are 

Three  Annual  Conferences  (city  and  student)  :  October,  1907,  October,  1908, 
and  February,  1910. 

Five   Association   Workers'   Institutes. 

Two  Student  Mission  Leaders'  Conferences,  conjointly  with  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  and  Volunteer  Unions  of  Ohio. 

Three  terms  of  Training  Center,  1908,  1909,  and  1910,  with  a  total  enrollment 
of  eleven  pupils. 

Thorough  investigation  of  four  towns  in  preparation  for  organization. 

Organization  of  one  city  Association,  Canton,  1908. 

Organization  of  one  Affiliated  Circle,  Urbana,  1909. 

Re-organization  and  reconstruction  of  methods  in  three  Associations. 

IVork  in  ivhich  the  Committee  has  Assisted 

One  building  campaign,  in  which  $181,000  was  raised. 
Two  membership  campaigns. 


Business  of  the  Convention  45 

One  annual  finance  campaign. 

Through  the  advice  and  co-operation  of  executive  and  student  secretaries  weak 
features  of  work  have  been  strengthened  and  advance  plans  inaugurated. 

Finances  have  been  placed  upon  a  good  basis,  and  the  territorial  office  work 
organized  upon  plan  of  the  national  office. 

Eight  student  Associations  have  been  organized. 

A  large  advance  in  the  interest  in  foreign  Association  work  is  also  a  feature. 
The  territory  has  assumed  the  salary  and  support  of  a  foreign  secretary,  at 
Lucknow,   India. 

In  concise  terms:  The  union  of  Ohio  and  West  Virginia  into  one  territory 
affiliated  with  the  National  Board  has  wrought  the  following  results:  Breadth  of 
vision;  a  wider  outlook;  a  World  interest;  has  given  us  the  help  of  experts  in 
all  departments  of  specialized  work;  has  increased  our  ability  to  approach  men 
of  business  acumen  on  account  of  our  financial  policy;  has  enabled  us  to  estab- 
lish the  Training  Center  for  secretarial  work;  has  enabled  our  secretaries  to  weld 
together  in  a  community  of  interest  college  women,  business  women,  wage  earn- 
ers, and  women  of  means  and  leisure  in  two  states;  has  opened,  before  the  vol- 
unteer worker,  doors  of  marvelous  opportunity;  has  amazed  her  with  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  work;  has  overwhelmed  her  with  her  personal  responsibility;  has 
aroused  a  wholesome  discontent  at  small  results;  has  given  her  courage  and 
strength  by  unifying  the  work  and  making  her  conscious  that  she  is  a  part  of  a 
great  nation-wide  and  world-wide  organization  whose  sole  motive  is  the  up- 
building and  leading  to  self-knowledge,  self-reverence,  self-control,  and  self- 
dedication  the  millions  of  young  women  of  our  beloved  land — and  these  tre- 
mendous results  could  have  been  attained  in  no  other  way. 


NORTH    CENTRAL   TERRITORIAL   COMMITTEE 

Headquarters,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Date  of  Organization,  February,   1911 

The  work  began  October  i,  191 1,  when  the  Provisional  Committee  and  ter- 
ritorial staff  of  seven  secretaries  appointed  by  the  National  Board,  together  with 
Miss  Theresa  M.  Wilbur,  who  remained  ten  days  in  Minneapolis  as  adviser,  met 
to  consider  the  responsibility  of  carrying  the  work  laid  down  by  five  efficient  state 
committees,  these  states  being  Minnesota,  North  and  South  Dakota,  Iowa  and 
Nebraska.     Two  important  problems  were  considered: 

First,  enlisting  the  interest  and  securing  the  co-operation  of  representative 
women  who  would  form  the  committee  for  carrying  on  the  new  work;  and 

Second,  the  demands  of  the  field,  which  were  very  Imperative. 

The  first  work  was  to  make  schedules  for  five  traveling  secretaries.  This 
was  followed  by  an  effort  to  secure  additional  members  for  the  Provisional  Com- 
mittee, and  to  this  end  many  special  meetings  and  social  gatherings  were  held  in 
October  and  November. 


46  Third  Biennial  Convention 

The  first  few  meetings  of  the  Provisional  Committee  were  held  in  the  office 
of  the  former  Minnesota  State  Committee,  but  this  proved  too  small,  and  tempo- 
rary quarters  were  secured.  Later  this  office  was  also  found  inadequate.  Per- 
manent quarters  were  found  January  lo,  1911,  consisting  of  three  offices  and  a 
board  room  in  the  Bank  of  Commerce  Building,  Minneapolis.  The  work  of  sys- 
tematizing the  office  and  giving  adequate  consideration  to  matters  laid  before  us 
by  five  state  committees  has  been  no  easy  task.  A  set  of  books  was  opened  for  the 
provisional  work,  but  were  closed  December  31st,  in  order  that  the  system  of  book- 
keeping suggested  by  the  National  Board  might  be  adopted  January  i,  1911.  The 
committee  and  office  secretaries  have  been  brought  into  touch  with  the  field  by 
means  of  personal  correspondence  and  by  circular  letters  explanatory  of  the  work. 
The  offices  have  been  very  meagerly  furnished  up  to  the  present  time,  but  in  spite 
of  this  fact,  they  have  been  a  veritable  workshop.  The  permanent  committee  was 
organized  February  9th  with  a  membership  of  thirty. 

The  student  Associations  have  sent  in  a  most  gratifying  response  to  the 
request  for  the  annual  subscriptions  formerly  given  to  the  state  committees,  but 
no  effort  has  been  made  to  secure  subscriptions  from  city  Associations,  nor 
have  personal  subscriptions  been  generally  sought  for,  owing  to  the  plan  of  the 
executive  secretary  by  which  the  finance  department  might  be  placed  on  a  firm 
basis.  This  plan  was  recently  brought  to  a  most  successful  issue  in  Minneapolis, 
and  those  most  conversant  with  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  work  are 
convinced  that  if  our  executive  secretary  had  brought  nothing  else  to  this  North 
Central  Territory,  her  time  would  have  been  well  invested.  In  a  Joint  Finance 
Campaign  of  ten  days'  duration,  $15,500  was  raised  in  Minneapolis,  being  the 
combined  budget  asked  from  Minneapolis  for  the  City  and  University  Associa- 
tions, the  Territorial  and  National  work.  Other  cities  are  asking  for  the  same 
finance  organization,  and  our  Territorial  Committee  believes  that  assistance  and 
co-operation  in  such  effort  is  a  most  important  part  of  but  service.  Among  the 
many  valuable  features  of  this  plan  is  this  outstanding  one,  that  ten  days  (or  a 
few  more  or  less  as  the  case  may  be)  having  been  given  to  money  raising,  the 
entire  remainder  of  the  year  may  be  devoted  to  service,  untrammeled  by  the  pres- 
sure of  money  problems. 

The  fall  term  of  the  Training  Center  was  conducted  in  the  Minneapolis  As- 
sociation and  the  midwinter  term  was  held  in  the  Omaha  Association. 

The  following  conferences  have  been  held: 

In  November,  a  county  conference  at  Austin,  Minnesota,  when  we  had  the 
valuable  assistance  of  Miss  Helen  F.  Barnes  of  the  National  staff.  Miss  Margaret 
E.  O'Connell,  territorial  county  secretary,  was  in  charge  of  this  conference. 

In  February  a  city  conference  at  Des  Moines  under  the  direction  of  Mrs. 
Byers,  executive,  and  Miss  Nettie  E.  Trimble,  city  secretary. 

In  February  a  student  conference  at  Morningside  College,  Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
attended  by  one  hundred  and  forty  delegates  from  portions  of  four  states.  This 
conference  was  under  the  direction  of  the  territorial  secretaries. 

In  March  a  student  conference,  in  charge  of  the  secretaries,  was  held  at  Iowa 


Business  of  the  Convention  47 

State  Teachers  College,  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  with  one  hundred  and  ten  delegates 
present. 

Arrangements  are  completed  for  a  conference  for  city  and  student  Asso- 
ciations at  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  May  5,  6  and  7,  191 1.  This  conference,  like 
those  preceding,  will  be  carried  on  without  the  help  of  secretaries  outside  of 
the  North  Central  Territory,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  work  which  the  Biennial 
Convention  entails  upon  the  staff  at  National  Headquarters.  It  seemed  wise 
to  arrange  for  these  conferences  during  this  busy  period  because  of  the  demands 
from  the  field  for  something  to  take  the  place  of  the  State  Conventions. 

The  committee  has  had  very  little  opportunity  to  study  the  foreign  work 
of  this  territory,  but  reports  have  come  to  the  office  showing  a  fine  spirit  among 
student  Associations,  as  well  as  some  excellent  work  in  the  city  Associations. 
We  foresee  some  difficulty  in  having  four  states  support  the  work  in  China  and 
one  in  South  America.  It  might  be  better  if  one  other  state  should  unite  with 
Minnesota  in  the  support  of  the  work  in  South  America.  We  are  glad  to  report 
that  Omaha  has  a  foreign  secretary  added  to  its  staff,  being  so  fortunate  as 
to  secure  Miss  Ruth  Paxson;  and  that  Minneapolis  has  increased  its  former 
pledge  of  $300  to  the  work  in  South  America  to  $450,  in  order  that  it  might 
contribute  the  entire  proportion  asked  from  this  country  toward  the  support  of 
Miss  Cortez  in  her  work  in  South  America  for  1911. 

When  the  North  Central  Territory  was  organized,  its  city  Associations 
numbered  nineteen.  The  organization  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  was  the  most  im- 
perative demand  of  our  city  field,  and  it  was  here  that  Miss  Starkweather,  city 
secretary,  began  her  work  September  20th.  The  organization,  however,  was  not 
perfected  until  some  weeks  later.  We  are  sorry  to  announce  that  Miss  Stark- 
weather was  taken  ill  October  19th  and  obliged  to  go  to  her  home  in  Ohio,  and 
that  we  were  without  a  city  worker  from  that  time  until  February  ist,  when  Miss 
Nettie  E.  Trimble  was  asked  to  take  the  office  of  city  secretary.  In  the  interim, 
when  we  had  no  special  worker  for  this  important  field,  our  executive  secretary, 
Mrs.  Byers,  made  fourteen  visits.  Some  of  the  special  work  of  the  field  is  reported 
in  the  following  cities: 

Organization  completed  at  Council  Bluffs;  Waterloo  organized;  Fort  Dodge 
affiliated;  Marshalltown  affiliated;  Jamestown  College  affiliated;  St.  Paul  making 
rapid  progress  toward  the  completion  of  its  new  building;  Burlington  received  a 
gift  of  $60,000  for  a  building;  Omaha  conducted  a  successful  campaign  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  foreign  secretary  at  a  cost  of  $1,000  a  year;  Cedar  Rapids  raised  $86,000  in 
eight  days  for  a  new  building  and  for  general  support  for  two  years.  $80,000  was 
the  amount  asked  for.  Duluth  conducted  a  unique  exhibit  of  industrial  work,  enlist- 
ing the  co-operation  of  State  Labor  Commissioner  and  Factory  Inspector,  managers 
of  seven  local  factories,  besides  the  managers  of  several  smaller  concerns.  Miss 
Florence  Simms  was  one  of  the  speakers.  This  exhibit  resulted  in  bringing  to 
the  central  Association  building  for  the  first  time  several  hundred  girls  from 
the  industrial  centers.  In  March  a  successful  joint  finance  campaign  was  held 
in  Minneapolis,  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made. 

In   the   student  field   the   university  work  has  been   under   the   supervision   of 


48  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Miss  Maude  Raymond;  the  state  normal  schools  in  charge  of  Miss  Maude  B. 
Corbett,  and  the  denominational  schools  and  high  schools  under  the  general  di- 
rection of  Miss  Eva  F.  Morris.  As  the  last  named  field  is  much  larger  than 
the  others,  Miss  Raymond  and  Miss  Corbett  have,  in  addition  to  their  work, 
assisted  Miss  Morris.  We  are  sorry  to  report  that  Miss  Raymond  was  taken  ill 
in  March.  The  other  student  secretaries,  and  Mrs.  Byers  have  carried  the  work 
during  Miss  Raymond's  illness.  As  will  be  seen,  we  have  not  had  the  service  of 
the  full  staff  of  secretaries  at  any  one  time  during  these  six  months. 

The  work  in  the  normal  schools  has  been  as  follows: 

Cedar  Falls  has  had  a  religious  campaign,  receiving  valuable  assistance  from 
Miss  Conde,  national  secretary.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  are  reported  in  the 
Bible  classes  and  the  Professor  of  Economics  teaches  a  class  in  Rural  Problems. 
Miss  Corbett  has  spent  much  time  in  studying  the  problems  in  normal  schools. 
She  has  brought  intelligent  aid  to  the  work  in  this  most  difficult  field,  and  we 
believe  that  much  of  our  future  effort  should  be  given  to  the  development  of  a 
strong  work  in  normal  schools. 

Miss  Melcher  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  has  proved  a  most  valu- 
able helper. 

As  the  reports  come  in,  it  is  gratifying  to  note  the  large  number  of  schools 
that  are  offering  classes  in  the  study  of  Rural  Problems. 

Our  county  work  has  been  made  possible  by  the  generous  gift  of  a  friend  in 
the  East,  who  contributed  the  entire  proportion  of  our  budget  for  county  work. 
Miss  Margaret  E.  O'Connell  has  had  charge  of  this  department  and  has  de- 
veloped the  work  already  organized  in  Mower  County,  Minn.,  but  has  spent  the 
most  of  her  time  in  Goodhue  County,  Minn.,  where  our  enterprise  has  been  carried 
on  in  much  the  same  manner  as  in  organized  counties.  Goodhue  County  is  looking 
toward  organization  in  the  near  future.  Miss  O'Connell  has  also  contributed  val- 
uable help  in  the  sectional  conferences. 

At  headquarters  all  of  the  secretaries  have  been  able  to  give  considerable  aid 
to  the  city  Associations  of  the  Twin  Cities  and  the  five  student  Associations  of 
the  vicinity.  Much  time  has  been  given  by  both  the  executive  and  office  secre- 
taries in  meeting  the  various  boards  and  committees,  and  in  giving  addresses. 
The  office  secretary  has  spoken  at  business  colleges  and  clubs  in  connection  with 
the  city  Associations,  and  has  given  talks  on  territorial  organization  before  the 
College  Alumnae  and  assisted  in  student  Associations  in  the  absence  from  the 
city  of  the  executive  and  student  secretaries. 

There  have  been  ten  national  secretaries  and  two  foreign  secretaries  as  visit- 
ors in  our  territory  during  the  six  months  of  our  organization. 

SOUTH    CENTRAL    TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE 

Headquarters,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Date  of  Organization,  December,  1909 

The  South  Central  Territorial  Committee  was  formed  December,  1909,  by 
the   union   of   the   Missouri    and    Arkansas   Territorial    Committee    and    the    State 


Business  of  the  Convention  49 

Committee  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  By  request  of  the  National  Board,  the 
unorganized  state  of  Louisiana  was  included  in  this  territory.  Considerable  time 
has  been  given  to  interesting  and  enlisting  women  for  service  on  this  committee, 
which  now  has  a  membership  of  forty-six,  nineteen  of  whom  are  resident  mem- 
bers of  our  headquarters  city,  St.  Louis,  the  remaining  twenty-seven,  though  sel- 
dom at  headquarters,  keep  in  touch  with  the  work  of  the  committee,  and  help 
and  advise  in  the  work  of  their  immediate  districts. 

Our  secretarial  staff  consists  of  Miss  Mary  McElroy,  the  executive  secretary 
of  the  territory,  Miss  Myra  Withers,  student  secretary  for  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas, Miss  Sallie  Foster,  office  secretary,  and  Miss  Florence  B.  Lang,  foreign  secre- 
tary. These  give  their  whole  time  to  the  work;  Miss  Abby  McElroy,  as  city 
secretary  with  Miss  Virginia  Sinclair  and  Miss  Grace  Upham  as  student  secre- 
taries for  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  give  only  part  of  the  year. 

In  order  to  bring  the  workers  together  from  all  parts  of  the  territory  for 
closer  acquaintance  and  better  understanding,  two  Territorial  Conferences  have 
been  held,  one  in  St.  Louis,  October,  1909,  one  in  Nashville,  November,  1910,  which 
resulted  in  a  broader  conception  of  Association  work  and  the  needs  of  our  field. 

Two  Sectional  Student  Conferences  were  held  during  the  past  year,  one  at  the 
University  of  Arkansas,  and  one  at  Columbia,  seat  of  the  Associations  of  Mis- 
souri State  University  and  Stephens  and  Christian  Colleges.  One  Sectional  City 
Conference  was  held  at  Kansas  City.  Large  delegations  from  our  Associations 
also  attended  the  Summer  Conferences  at  Asheville,  Lake  Geneva,  Cascade  and 
Corpus  Christi. 

This  field  has  been  thoroughly  covered  by  the  student  secretaries,  each  Asso- 
ciation in  the  territory  being  visited  from  one  to  three  times  during  the  year. 
Appreciative  letters  are  constantly  sent  the  committee  by  presidents  and  faculty 
members  of  the  strong  work  done  by  our  student  secretaries  and  the  influence  of 
the  Association  upon  the  institution. 

Four  Faculty  Conferences,  held  in  connection  with  our  territorial  meetings,  have 
brought  a  better  understanding  and  fuller  co-operation  on  the  part  of  the  faculty. 

This  spring  the  student  Associations  in  Louisiana  were  visited  for  the 
first  time. 

We  have  had  the  very  efficient  help  of  one  of  our  territorial  members,  Mrs. 
Selden  P.  Spencer,  who  has  visited  five  student  Associations  during  the  year, 
giving  a  course  in  Bible  Study  at  Association. 

Miss  Florence  B.  Lang,  secretary  of  Colombo,  Ceylon,  is  supported  by  our  local 
Associations.  During  the  past  year  the  St.  Louis  Association  has  undertaken 
the  support  of  Miss  Edith  Wells,  who  has  been  sent  to  Peking,  China.  A  month's 
visitation  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Christie,  kindly  sent  to  us  by  the  National  Foreign 
Department,  greatly  stimulated  interest  in  our  foreign  work. 

Up  to  the  time  that  the  Territorial  Committee  was  organized,  the  city  Asso- 
ciations in  our  five  states  had  had  no  regular  visitation,  or  help  from  a  super- 
visory committee.  It  was  thought  best  to  concentrate  on  strategic  centers  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  our  territory  and  develop  a  few  Associations  to  their  highest 
possibilities.     By  means  of  parlor  meetings,  lantern  lectures,  local   institutes,  etc., 


50  Third  Biennial  Convention 

a  campaign  of  education  was  carried  on  in  these  states,  through  which  the  public 
was  informed,  strong  women  enlisted  on  boards  and  committees  and  the  support 
of  business  men  was  secured.  The  committee  also  co-operated  by  finding  trained 
general  secretaries  and  department  workers  for  local  Associations  and  by 
securing  the  help  of  national  specialists  to  aid  in  developing  work  in  department 
stores,  factories  and  along  physical  and  economic  lines.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
since  the  territorial  work  was  organized  the  city  Associations  have  so  broad- 
ened their  activities  that  the  number  of  employed  officers  has  been  more  than 
doubled  and  the  force  of  volunteer  works  greatly  increased.  Since  the  last  Biennial, 
the  Women's  Christian  Association  of  St.  Louis  has  been  given  a  splendid  building 
for  the  Blind  Girl's  Home  by  an  interested  friend;  the  Nashville  Association 
rejoices  over  a  beautiful,  commodious  building  which  is  to  be  opened  early  next 
month;  Chattanooga  has  secured  a  valuable  lot  in  an  admirable  location,  and 
enters  soon  upon  a  building  campaign.  Our  committee  has  aided  in  a  number 
of  financial  campaigns  for  current  expenses,  in  a  supplemental  campaign  for  the 
furnishing  fund  at  Nashville,  and  in  the  preliminary  work  at  Chattanooga. 

The  outstanding  events  of  the  past  two  years  are  the  building  campaigns  at 
Kansas  City  and  St.  Louis  when  sums  aggregating  more  than  $800,000  were  se- 
cured. As  a  result  of  the  former,  the  Kansas  City  Association  rejoices  in  the 
acquisition  of  two  new  buildings,  a  Boarding  Home,  erected  the  past  year — simple, 
convenient  and  beautiful,  with  a  capacity  of  100 — and  a  headquarters  building, 
finely  located  in  the  business  section,  which  was  purchased  last  summer  and  when 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  two  stories  will  give  adequate  provision  for  the  general 
work  and  also  yield  a  good  revenue  for  its  maintenance.  Several  months  of  our 
executive  secretary's  time  last  spring  were  given  to  preparations  for  the  St.  Louis 
campaign,  together  with  one  month's  service  of  our  city  secretary,  while  the  resi- 
dent members  of  our  Territorial  Committee  took  an  active  part  in  the  two  weeks' 
public  campaign.  With  the  $500,000  secured  by  the  St.  Louis  Association  has 
been  purchased  one  of  the  finest  locations  in  the  city;  contracts  have  been  let  for 
a  spacious  building  which  it  is  hoped  will  represent  the  highest  Association 
ideals,  and  there  will  remain  a  small  endowment  fund  for  maintenance. 

In  February  of  this  year  two  notable  events  gave  cause  for  great  rejoicing;  the 
organization,  after  careful  preliminary  work,  of  a  splendid  Association  of 
1,000  members  at  New  Orleans,  and  one  of  1,400  members  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.  As 
this  gives  us  an  opportunity  to  build  up  a  city  Association  in  the  metropolis  of 
Louisiana  and  of  Arkansas  which  may  be  models  for  other  cities  in  these  states,  the 
event  is  of  unusual  significance. 

The  growth  of  Association  work  in  our  territory  is  suggested  by  a  few 
figures.  Four  years  ago  when  the  Missouri  Territorial  Committee  was  organized, 
there  were  in  the  five  states  now  composing  the  South  Central  Territory,  eight 
city  Associations  with  a  membership  of  4,846,  and  forty-nine  student  Associations 
with  a  membership  of  3,152;  fifty-seven  Associations  in  all  with  a  membership 
of  7,998.  In  1909  there  were  nine  city  Associations,  membership  7,998,  and 
sixty-seven  student  Associations,  membership  4,645 ;  seventy-six  Associations  in 
all   with   a   membership   of   13,561.     Since   that   time   there   have   been  twenty-five 


Business  of  the  Convention  51 

new  Associations  organized,  so  that  now  in  1911  there  are  eleven  city  Associations 
with  a  membership  of  11,810,  and  ninety  student  Associations  with  a  membership 
of  5,582,  making  a  total  of  loi  Associations  in  the  South  Central  Territory  with 
a  membership  of  17,392.  The  number  of  employed  officers  in  these  Associations 
has  increased  in  these  four  years  from  thirty-four  to  seventy. 

This  shows  a  creditable  growth  in  two  years,  perhaps,  you  say,  but  what  is 
before  us?  We  seem  to  have  touched  only  the  fringe  of  our  territory,  and  there  is 
such  a  tremendous  field  beyond!  So  many  women,  so  many  girls  who  should  have 
made  real  to  them  the  "  more  abundant  life  "  of  the  Lord  Jesus  through  our  Young 
Women's  Christian  Associations. 

The  late  census  shows  sixteen  cities  with  a  population  of  from  25,000  to  300,000 
in  our  territory,  in  only  half  of  which  we  have  Association  work.  A  still 
larger  number  with  a  population  of  from  15,000  to  25,000  are  unorganized.  Student 
Associations  are  needed  in  many  schools  and  colleges  not  now  on  our  list. 
No  county  work  has  yet  been  attempted.  We  hope  for  training  centers  in  Nashville, 
Kansas  City,  St.  Louis  and  Little  Rock,  as  soon  as  these  Associations  are  thor- 
oughly established  in  their  new  buildings,  with  a  full  staif  of  workers.  An  indus- 
trial secretary  is  needed  to  aid  in  developing  work  in  our  large  factories  and 
other  industrial   centers. 

The  South  Central  Territorial  Committee  is  larger  and  stronger  than  at  any 
previous  time  in  its  history.  Some  progress  has  been  made  in  organizing  the  depart- 
ments of  our  territorial  work,  and  an  earnest  effort  is  being  made  to  induce  com- 
mittee members  to  take  a  more  active  and  responsible  part  in  the  conduct  of  the 
work.  Much  thought  and  attention  must  also  be  given  to  enlarging  our  financial 
constituency.  So  far,  except  for  contributions  from  city  and  student  Associa- 
tions, and  committee  members,  the  financial  support  has  come  chiefly  from  Mis- 
souri and  Tennessee.    Louisiana  has  been  purely  a  missionary  territory. 

And  so  we  follow  step  by  step  our  great  Leader  and  press  on  toward  the  goal 
unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 


WEST    CENTRAL   TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE 

[Provisional] 

Headquarters,   Denver,   Colo. 
Date  of  Organization,  December,  1910 

During  the  St.  Paul  Convention  much  of  the  interest  centered  about  the  ques- 
tion of  territorial  committees  vs.  state  committees.  The  significance  of  territorial 
organization  was  not  completely  grasped,  nevertheless,  the  majority  of  delegates 
expressed  confidence  in  the  National  Board  by  voting  for  the  territorial  form  of 
organization.  Immediately  following  that  convention  the  state  committees  of  Colo- 
rado and  Wyoming  awi  of  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  disbanded  and  petitioned  the 


52  Third  Biennial  Convention 

National  Board  for  the  establishment  of  a  territorial  comnnittee.  Utah  was  added 
to  the  four  states  and  the  W^est  Central  Territory  was  in  prospect.  Denver,  because 
of  its  size  and  its  position  geographically  was  naturally  chosen  as  headquarters. 
Measuring  it  by  the  Association  standard,  however,  it  apparently  fell  far 
short  of  the  ideal.  The  Association  work  in  Denver  was  confined  to  a  small 
Scandinavian  organization  and  a  boarding  home,  with  Travelers'  Aid  and  summer 
home,  and  the  general  public  seemed  to  evince  little  interest  in  extending  the  Asso- 
ciation movement.  But  quietly  and  surely  the  profound  conviction  of  the  need  of 
the  social  work  for  young  women  had  been  gathering  force,  and  under  the  able 
leadership  of  Mrs.  McLean,  special  worker  for  the  National  Board,  a  committee  of 
the  Boarding  Home  Directors  began  the  plans  for  the  down-town  branch.  A  wave 
of  enthusiasm  swept  the  entire  city.  There  was  no  "small  beginning."  At  the 
opening  of  the  Rest  and  Recreation  Rooms  the  membership  was  six  hundred.  In 
three  months  it  had  reached  the  thousand  mark. 

The  education  that  was  needed  to  launch  this  enterprise  made  fertile  soil  for 
the  growth  of  further  Association  ideas,  and  when  the  National  Board  began 
the  organization  of  the  West  Central  Committee,  there  was  a  ready  and  a  cordial 
response  on  the  part  of  the  Denver  women.  The  enthusiasm  in  Kansas  was  no  less 
marked.  Every  Association  was  eager  for  the  new  plan  to  be  put  into  oper- 
ation.   Splendid  committee  members  were  secured  in  both  Topeka  and  Wichita. 

The  Provisional  West  Central  Territorial  Committee  had  been  in  existence 
barely  a  month  when  evidence  of  its  importance  and  value  appeared  in  a  request 
from  New  Mexico  for  annexation.  The  West  has  a  generous  heart,  and  although 
the  committee  members  were  already  finding  it  a  little  brain-fatiguing  to  hold 
a  vision  of  five  large  states,  the  addition  of  another  was  gladly  accepted.  The 
Northwest  was  formerly  our  rival  in  area,  but  with  561,502  square  miles  we  now 
stand  far  beyond  the  possibility  of  any  competitors.  New  Mexico  and  Colorado 
are  closely  akin,  and  the  problem  of  taking  care  of  tubercular  girls  facing  both 
states  makes  it  imperative  that  they  belong  to  the  same  territory.  The  solution 
of  this  problem  is  not  yet  in  sight,  and  it  may  be  that  it  will  have  to  be  met  not 
only  territorially  but  nationally.  The  raising  last  spring  of  $64,500  for  a  Young 
Woman's  Christian  Association  building  for  Colorado  Springs — a  sum  now  in- 
creased to  $65,000 — shows  how  well  equipped  that  city  will  soon  be,  to  meet 
this  work. 

No  other  territory  can  boast  a  more  interesting  field  than  the  West  Central. 
The  population  may  seem  infinitesimal  when  I  say  it  is  about  equal  to  that  of 
New  York  City,  but  when  Oklahoma  City  is  increasing  at  the  rate  of  539  per 
cent  in  ten  years  while  the  average  city  increases  only  twenty-one  per  cent,  it 
may  not  be  long  before  this  territory  can  vie  with  some  of  the  eastern  ones. 
There  are  Indians  in  this  territory:  the  five  civilized  tribes  in  Oklahoma  and 
many  others,  uncivilized.  There  are  Mormons,  whose  religion  is  a  serious  and 
threatening  evil  in  all  this  region,  but  especially  in  Utah,  Colorado,  Wyoming, 
and  New  Mexico.  Miss  Robinson,  special  worker  for  the  National  Board,  has 
been  winning  a  way  for  the  Association  in  Salt  Lake  City  against  the  most 
tremendous    odds.      There    are    several    county    high    school    Associations    in    the 


Business  of  the  Convention  53 

terrltorj',  which  are  unique.  Three  of  the  states,  Wyoming,  New  Mexico,  and 
Utah,  are  nearly  untouched  by  Association  ideas,  and  are  a  great  uncharted 
field  for  missionary  work. 

The  present  status  of  the  work  is  as  follows:  Nine  city  Associations;  forty- 
four  university,  college,  and  academy  Associations;  thirteen  county  high  school 
Associations;  three  Indian  school  Associations;  two  colored  school  Associations. 

The  secretarial  staff  at  present  consists  of  Miss  Henrietta  Roelofs  of  the 
National  Board,  who  is  acting  as  executive;  Mrs.  Lester  McLean,  Jr.,  student 
secretary,  who  has  to  give  all  her  time  to  developing  the  Denver  city  work, 
which  the  National  Board  sent  her  out  to  do  last  autumn;  Mrs.  John  Parker  Wise, 
who,  since  coming  in  February,  has  been  doing  the  student  work  in  Oklahoma 
and  a  part  of  Kansas  and  Colorado,  and  Miss  Ruth  Ragan,  office  secretary. 

The  committee  has  not  been  able  to  cover  the  entire  student  field — it  has  been 
quite  impossible  because  of  the  critical  situation  in  Denver,  which  required  all  the 
time  of  Mrs.  McLean;  but  eight  Kansas  universities  and  colleges  had  a  cabinet 
conference  in  Topeka  last  fall,  and  Miss  Miller  of  the  National  Board  visited 
the  high  school  Associations.  Miss  Allen  visited  the  Kansas  and  Oklahoma 
city  Associations,  and  Miss  Barnes  spent  a  few  days  in  Bartlesville,  Oklahoma, 
and  also  investigated  the  problems  presented  there  by  the  towns  of  Tulsa  and 
Muskogee.  Topeka,  whose  splendid  new  Association  building  will  be  dedicated 
in  June,  has  shown,  since  raising  $83,000  for  it,  how  actively  the  work  goes  on 
from  that  center. 

The  territorial  committee  has  not  yet  been  divided  into  departments.  The 
members  at  headquarters  have  all  met  together  twice  a  month  to  be  educated  in 
this  scheme  of  national  organization.  Through  constant  correspondence  the  resi- 
dent and  non-resident  members  have  been  kept  in  close  touch  with  each  other 
and  have  tried  to  meet  intelligently  the  situation  facing  them. 

Our  work  is  almost  all  in  prospect;  our  plans  are  yet  vague;  and  our  sup- 
port, outside  the  Association  pledges,  not  yet  certain.  The  Denver  public  has 
much  to  learn  of  its  duties  and  privileges  in  the  Association  movement;  but 
to  one  with  faith  and  vision  the  work  holds  inspiring  possibilities.  The  privilege 
of  trying  to  establish  the  highest  and  best  Association  ideals  for  young  women 
all  over  this  great  area  of  our  beloved  land  presents  a  powerful  appeal  and 
the  entire  committee  is  facing  this  difficult  task  with  courage  and  hope. 


TERRITORIAL    COMMITTEE    FOR    CALIFORNIA,    ARIZONA, 
AND    NEVADA 

Headquarters,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
Date  of   Organization,   May,   1907 

At  the  last  Biennial  Convention  this  territory  was  represented  by  our  able 
chairman  of  finance,  Mrs.  Salisbury,  by  Mrs.  Olney  and  Mrs.  Richardson,  and 
by  our  two  secretaries.  Miss  McElroy  and  Miss  Davidson.     The  enthusiasm  and 


54  Third  Biennial  Convention 

impetus  which  they  brought  from  the  great  Convention  were  strong,  and  plans 
for  the  coming  year  were  made  with  wide  scope  and  searching  policies. 

Before  actual  work  began  in  the  fall,  however,  the  committee  found  itself 
abruptly  confronted  by  the  loss  of  its  secretaries.  Peculiarly  favoring  circum- 
stances have  tempered  the  delay  in  securing  Miss  Patch,  formerly  of  the  Los 
Angeles  staff,  as  executive,  and  Miss  Salisbury,  from  the  National  Training 
School  as  student  secretary,  but  inevitably  the  delay  caused  temporary  re- 
trenchment. 

The  inspiration  of  the  Biennial  remained  with  us  through  our  committee 
members.  We  have  been  especially  proud  to  have  Mrs.  Salisbury  chosen  as 
member  of  the  National  Board  and  also  of  the  World's  Committee.  Mrs.  Olney 
has  become  the  guiding  genius  in  the  northern  part  of  the  territory  and  prom- 
ises to  make  possible  any  policy  the  National  Board  may  have  regarding  that  part 
of  the  territory.  Mrs.  Richardson,  also,  has  been  active  in  co-operative  efforts  with 
the   California   Federation  of  Women's   Clubs. 

The  Territorial  Plan  of  the  National  Board  has  worked  well.  The  vast 
reaches  of  territory  have  not  dismayed  us,  accustomed  as  we  are  in  the  West 
to  "  magnificent  distances."  A  greater  diversity  of  interests  could  hardly  be  found, 
ranging  from  frontier  and  mining  camp  conditions  in  Arizona  and  Nevada,  to 
the  cosmopolitan  problems  of  San  Francisco,  the  "Paris  of  America;"  but  the 
differing  needs  have  served  not  to  dissever  but  to  unite  us  by  their  great  human 
appeal. 

The  advantages  of  highly  specialized  National  aid  which  have  been  made 
possible  by  the  territorial  system  have  been  manifest.  In  the  perplexing  prob- 
lems of  our  city  Associations,  we  have  had  the  clear  vision  and  steady  hand 
of  Miss  Hays  to  untangle  intricate  situations  and  point  the  way  to  safe  and  sub- 
stantial growth.  From  our  Training  Center  in  two  years  have  been  sent  ten 
secretaries  who  are  all  at  work  in  our  field,  in  the  foreign  field,  or  are  in  the 
National  Training  School.  To  our  student  Associations  the  National  Board 
has  been  most  generous.  Last  year  the  timely  and  extended  visit  of  Miss  Wilbur 
saved  the  day  for  us  during  our  enforced  lack  of  a  territorial  student  secretary. 
It  is  impossible  to  estimate,  or  express,  the  blessing  brought  to  our  girls  last  year, 
or  this  year,  by  the  influence  of  Miss  Conde.  In  this  age,  students  move  rapidly, 
and  it  would  be  impossible  to  reach  and  hold  them  without  such  progressive  ideas 
and  methods  as  Miss  Salisbury  has  brought  from  the  National  Training  School 
and  Miss  Conde  from  the  National  Student  Department. 

The  "  untouched  field "  has  been  poignantly  indicated  to  us  by  two  special- 
ists. Miss  Dabb  and  Miss  Barnes.  After  a  careful  investigation  of  existing  con- 
ditions among  the  Indians,  Miss  Dabb  made  us  earnestly  hope  to  move  forward 
and  occupy  this  field  when  her  plans  are  matured.  Meanwhile  we  have  tried 
to  carry  out  her  suggestions  for  special  correspondence,  and  to  prepare  veritable 
home-missionaries  from  the  Indians  themselves,  by  getting  as  many  as  possible 
from  the  Indian  schools  to  the  Capitola  Conferences.  The  Associations  of 
more  favored  students  pay  the  expenses  of  these  Indian  girls  to  Capitola;  there 
they   are    the    inspiration    of    all    because   of    their   spiritual    earnestness    and    joy. 


Business  of  the  Convention  55 

They  are  marked  Christian  leaders  afterwards  in  their  schools,  and  may  readily 
become  leaders  in  their  Indian  communities  when  Miss  Dabb's  policies  are 
inaugurated. 

Eighty-five  per  cent  of  our  field  is  still  untouched,  as  we  learn  from  Miss 
Barnes'  statistics  and  her  revelations  of  conditions  and  needs  in  rural  commu- 
nities and  small  towns.  We  have  an  able  chairman  for  that  department,  Mrs. 
Ritter.    We  hope  before  another  year  to  have  a  secretary  for  rural  and  county  work. 

Conferences  conducted  by  the  National  Board,  or  made  possible  by  their  aid, 
have  been  notably  valuable  and  successful  during  this  Biennial  period. 

Two  Volunteer  Workers  Conferences  have  been  held  in  San  Francisco,  led 
last  year  by  Miss  Hays,  and  this  year  by  Miss  Barnes.  The  results  have  been 
distinctly  helpful.  The  attendance  this  year  at  the  Conference,  at  the  luncheon 
given  by  the  San  Francisco  Board,  and  at  the  Contributors'  Conference,  was  grati- 
fyingly  large  and  enthusiastic  in  spirit. 

A  Sectional  Student  Conference  was  held  in  the  South  last  fall.  It  served 
admirably  to  unify  and  intensify  the  work  of  the  year  in  the  Southern  colleges 
and  schools.  Both  years  senior  councils  have  been  held  to  lay  before  our  young 
women  the  call  to  the  secretaryship.  Before  Miss  Salisbury  came  to  us  the 
student  work  was  carried  by  volunteer  workers,  and  the  last  four  months  by 
Miss  McCreery  from  the  Los  Angeles  Training  Center,  Miss  Wilbur  spending 
one  month  in  our  field. 

Miss  Rose  Smith,  a  member  of  the  committee,  consented  to  act  as  office  secre- 
tary for  the  past  six  months. 

We  claim  with  pride  our  foreign  secretary.  Miss  Margaret  Matthew,  of 
Tokyo.  Miss  Macdonald  of  Japan  awakened  interest  in  her  work  which  reached 
a  climax  in  the  recent  inspiring  appeals  by  Miss  Kawai. 

The  foreign  department  has  for  its  chairman  Mrs.  Gertrude  Smith  Spauld- 
ing,  who  has  formulated  a  policy  and  worked  energetically.  Particularly  attractive 
meetings  have  been  held  with  high  class  Japanese  women  in  San  Francisco. 

The  Territorial  Committee  has  worked  faithfully.  The  resignation  of  our 
chairman,  Mrs.  Mathuss,  was  a  severe  loss.  Several  valued  members  have  been 
obliged  to  withdraw.  Chairmen  of  departments  at  headquarters  have  had  to  be 
especially  diligent,  owing  to  the  unusually  small  proportion  of  resident  members. 

The  budget  was  increased  by  $i,ooo  last  year,  reaching  about  $6,000. 

With  confidence  we  anticipate  a  closer  co-operation  with  the  National  Board  in 
regard  to  both  budget  and  bylaws. 

In  co-operation  with  a  committee  of  the  Collegiate  Alumnae,  the  secretaryship 
as  a  vocation  for  college  women  has  been  presented  and  will  be  included  in 
a  new  course  to  be  offered  for  the  first  time  next  year  at  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. 

Travelers'  Aid  work  has  had  a  distinct  encouragement  in  the  placing  of  two 
of  these  secretaries  on  the  payroll  of  the  railroad  company  for  part  salary,  thus 
protecting  women  at  one  city  station  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  the 
hour  of  midnight     This  work  is  most  absorbing,  also  classes  in  English  for  for- 


56  Third  Biennial  Convention 

eigners  and  extension  work  in  the  packing  houses — where  one  branch  was  opened 
last  spring. 

Miss  Tatham  severed  her  official  relation  as  general  secretary  of  Los  Angeles 
Association,   February  ist,  but  she  promises  continued  interest  in  us. 

Two  general  secretaries  have  come  into  our  field,  Miss  Myrtle  Mills,  from 
Decatur,  111.,  to  Oakland,  Miss  H.  P.  Anderson,  formerly  assistant  secretary  in 
Paris,  to  Pasadena. 

Two  new  Associations  have  been  organized,  a  city  Association  at  Redlands 
and   a   student  Association   at   Redlands   University. 

Membership  in  the  city  Associations  has  increased  sixteen  per  cent  in  two 
years — two  cities  adding  over  i,ooo  each  as  a  result  of  special  effort.  Two  gifts 
have  served  to  encourage  local  boards;  a  home  to  be  erected  in  Los  Angeles  by 
Senator  Clark  in  memory  of  his  mother,  valued  at  $150,000,  and  a  similar  gift  to 
the  Long  Beach  Association,  valued  at  about  $55,000. 

With  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal,  population  and  problems  increase 
with  startling  rapidity — and  we  ask  the  prayers  of  this  Convention  that  they  may 
be  met  with  wisdom  and  rapidity  so  as  to  be  able  to  help  hold  the  Coast  for  Christ. 


NORTHWESTERN    TERRITORIAL   COMMITTEE 

Headquarters,   Seattle,   Wash. 
Date  of  Organization,   February,   1910 

The  enticing  word  West  has  spelled  Opportunity  to  the  youth  of  our  coun- 
try for  three  generations,  and  its  lure  is  still  sending  forth  its  wireless,  mystic 
message,  influencing  multitudes  from  all  directions  to  respond  to  its  appeal.  The 
marvelous  growth  of  our  population  in  the  far  Northwest  as  shown  by  the  recent 
census,  ranging  from  three  hundred  per  cent  in  some  places  to  one  thousand  per 
cent  in  others,  has  arrested  the  attention  and  excited  the  amazement  of  the  entire 
country. 

The  great  irrigation  projects  opening  to  cultivation  vast  areas  of  desert  land 
hitherto  undeveloped,  together  with  wide  advertising,  and  low  home-seekers  rates, 
have  created  a  rush  of  settlers  that  is  sending  the  crowded  trains  west  in  double 
sections.  Scientific  farming  and  fruit-growing  are  attracting  a  fine  class  of  col- 
lege-bred men  to  the  grain  belts  and  fruit-growing  valleys  of  the  Northwest. 

It  is  said  that  Hood  River  has  more  college  men  than  any  city  of  its  size 
in  the  country.  The  extension  of  railroad  mileage  in  our  territory  last  year  is 
worthy  of  note,  amounting  to  about  one  fifth  of  the  total  for  the  whole  country. 
With  wonderful  foresight  its  agents  detect  the  strategic  points,  project  their  twin 
steel  rails  into  the  desert  and  lo!  before  the  tin  cans  left  by  the  construction  camps 
are  cleared  away,  the  young  city  is  fairly  started. 

The  magnetism  of  the  West  attracts  a  class  of  educated  women  as  well  as 
men.  In  Seattle  alone  the  Association  of  Collegiate  Alumnae  numbers  more  than 
one  hundred  members,  while  Portland,  Tacoma,   Spokane,  Yakima   Valley,  Boise, 


Business  of  the  Convention  57 

and  Missoula  have  flourishing  branches.  Boise  and  Missoula  branches  report 
active  support  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  as  well  as  Public 
Safety  and  General  Betterment  Work.  The  Missoula  branch  has  investigated 
and  vouched  for  lists  of  boarding  and  rooming  houses  and  cab  lines  for  guidance 
of  strangers. 

Our  territorial  area  of  400,000  square  miles  has  a  population  of  only  two 
and  one  half  millions,  which  is  about  half  that  of  New  York  City.  We  have  only 
three  cities  of  more  than  100,000.  Portland,  Spokane  and  Seattle.  500,000  of  our 
population  are  young  women  between  the  ages  of  thirteen  and  thirty-four.  Of 
these,  150,000  are  self-supporting,  and  about  100,000  are  girls  of  leisure  at  home. 
This  is  our  field.     What  are  we  doing  in  it? 

In  May,  1909,  immediately  following  the  Biennial,  Miss  Annie  Reynolds 
came  to  the  Northwest  as  a  representative  of  the  National  Board  in  response 
to  requests  from  the  State  Boards  of  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Montana,  looking 
toward  territorial  organization.  After  careful  investigation  of  the  field,  a  Pro- 
visional Committee  was  formed  of  five  ladies,  residing  in  Seattle,  who  pledged 
$250,  or  one  month's  expenses  toward  the  next  year's  budget.  Seattle  was- 
chosen  as  headquarters,  Portland  as  the  Training  Center,  and  three  secre- 
taries were  employed.  In  September  headquarters  were  established  in  a  pleasant 
four-room  apartment  where  the  secretaries  kept  house  as  well  as  conducted  a 
business  office.  The  Oregon  State  Board  made  the  first  substantial  contribution 
to  the  furnishing  and  others  have  added  to  these,  so  with  the  personal  belongings- 
of  the  secretaries  the  rooms  are  attractively  furnished.  Many  travelers  and 
guests  gladly  bear  witness  to  its  cordial  hospitality.  The  Provisional  Committee 
adopted  a  finance  policy  which  it  believed  would  prove  adequate.  First,  to  ask 
a  few  people  for  large  sums  that  we  might  not  infringe  upon  the  clientage  of 
the  local  city  Associations.  Second,  to  ask  each  board  member  to  be  respon- 
sible for  $100,  feeling  that  sharing  financial  responsibility  would  increase  her 
interest. 

During  the  fall  the  budget  for  the  year  was  provided,  other  committee  mem- 
bers found,  and  enough  preliminary  work  done  to  warrant  the  organization  of 
the  permanent  committee  in  January,  1910.  The  National  Board  being  unable 
to  send  a  representative  to  our  assistance,  left  us  to  perfect  our  organization 
alone.  We  deeply  appreciate  the  confidence  it  placed  in  us  for  we  realize  the 
young  giant  of  the  West  has  not  always  been  conservative.  If  a  pun  might  be 
forgiven,  though  no  one  was  sent  from  New  York,  we  had  a  Gage  who  has 
proven  an  invaluable  leader.  Upon  her  shoulders  has  fallen  the  heaviest  burden 
in  the  reorganization.  In  addition  to  the  usual  duties  of  an  executive  secretary^ 
she  has  assisted  in  securing  committee  members,  both  at  headquarters  and  from 
the  field;  has  taken  the  initiative  in  helping  to  work  out  our  policies;  has  helped 
raise  our  budget,  and  trained  an  inexperienced  committee;  all  this  in  a  territory 
whose  distances  necessitate  12,000  miles  of  travel.  Her  unfailing  courage,  cheer- 
fulness, and  rare  tact,  have  been  our  bugle  call  to  duty  and  our  inspiration. 

We  started  with  the  modest  budget  of  about  $5,000,  trimming  our  expenses 
carefully  so  that  we  were   always   able  to  meet   our  bills   promptly,   and   at  the 


58  Third  Biennial  Convention 

end  of  the  year  to  make  a  small  contribution  to  our  mother  Association  in 
New  York. 

During  the  year  two  of  our  eight  city  Associations  were  ushered  into  the 
sisterhood,  one  at  Boise,  Idaho,  one  at  North  Yakima,  Washington,  each  started 
with  six  hundred  members,  adequate  finance,  and  earnest  Board  members.  This 
very  month  two  more  are  added.  One  at  Everett,  and  Missoula,  Montana.  Ev- 
erett has  been  working  for  an  Association  for  many  months.  As  a  result 
of  the  Billy  Sunday  meetings,  a  Bible  class  was  formed  which  became  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  Association.  Our  executive  secretary  was  able  to  give  Everett 
but  a  few  brief  visits  during  the  year,  but  the  enthusiasm  thus  wisely  directed 
has  resulted  in  a  vigorous  young  Association  of  which  we  are  justly  proud. 
In  Missoula  the  interest  developed  so  rapidly  and  desire  for  immediate  organ- 
ization was  so  urgent  that  being  quite  unable  to  send  our  executive  secretary  we 
telegraphed  an  emergency  call  to  the  National  Board.  In  hearty  response  Miss 
Long  was  despatched  to  the  field  and  has  safely  guided  the  new  Association. 
In  addition  to  her  work  in  Missoula  she  conducted  a  parlor  conference  in  Billings, 
and  did  investigation  preliminary  to  organization  in  Great  Falls. 

The  establishment  of  the  Training  Center  at  Portland  has  been  of  great 
importance  to  the  Northwest.  An  efficient  committee  whose  leading  spirit  has 
been  Mrs.  Honeyman,  whom  we  may  call  the  mother  of  Association  work 
in  the  Northwest,  has  given  much  time  and  thought  to  the  work.  We  believe  this 
will  be  instrumental  in  calling  attention  to  the  new  profession  for  women  as 
well  as  in  giving  us  a  larger  number  of  trained  workers. 

The  work  of  Miss  Hays,  both  at  the  Training  Center  and  at  the  volunteer 
workers  conference  at  Portland,  Seattle,  and  Spokane,  has  been  of  lasting  educa- 
tional value  to  us  all.  Although  the  audiences  in  some  places  were  small,  the 
influence  has  spread  as  the  ripple  in  the  pool,  and  we  frequently  hear  her  words 
referred  to  as  authority.  You,  who  live  near  to  the  center  of  Association  work, 
can  hardly  realize  what  her  coming  meant  to  us,  3,000  miles  away. 

Our  Travelers'  Aid  department  has  been  waiting  for  the  National  Board 
to  establish  its  policy  regarding  the  unifying  of  the  various  organizations  interested 
in  the  work.  A  year  ago  we  asked  that  Dr.  Brown  be  sent  to  us  to  assist  in 
forming  a  policy  that  would  be  satisfactory  many  years  hence.  We  know  the 
National  Board  has  been  making  a  careful  study  of  this  problem  and  we  look 
for  definite  results  from  this  Convention.  The  following  cities  have  Travelers' 
Aid  departments:  Butte,  Billings,  Spokane  with  three  workers.  North  Yakima, 
Tacoma  with  three  workers,  Seattle,  Bellingham,  and  Portland  with  four  work- 
ers. The  railroads  recognize  the  importance  of  this  work  and  willingly  share 
in  its  support.  The  department  of  Public  Safety  for  Women  needs  only  to  be 
understood  to  be  valued.  As  our  Mrs.  Baldwin,  of  Portland,  says,  "  The  prov- 
ince of  the  department  is  not  to  rescue  the  girl  but  to  make  safe  the  path  for 
her  feet.  It  does  not,  should  not,  deal  with  the  dissolute  woman,  but  with  the 
conditions  which  made  her  downfall  possible."  From  a  multitude  of  beneficent 
achievements  of  this  department,  I  maj'  mention  only  two:  The  closing  of  all  the 
five-cent  dance  halls   in   one  city;   eight  convictions   in  the   white   slave  traffic   in 


Business  of  the  Convention  59 

one  city.  Four  of  our  cities  have  this  department,  Portland,  Bellingham,  Tacoma, 
and  Seattle. 

Our  territory  still  has  many  large  Indian  reservations.  Chemawa  in  Ore- 
gon has  a  large  and  efficient  training  school.  Outside  of  this,  little  Association 
work  has  been  attempted.  We  recognize  the  importance  of  Miss  Dabb's  inves- 
tigation, and  as  a  committee  stand  ready  to  take  hold  of  the  work  in  the  way 
she  may  suggest. 

The  Conference  at  the  Breakers  was  an  inspiration  to  the  young  women  and 
to  the  Board  members  present.  It  gave  us  the  opportunity  to  meet  the  girl  as 
•well  as  to  bring  our  vexed  problems  for  discussion  and  for  expert  advice. 

Four  of  our  city  Associations  have  flourishing  summer  camps.  Spokane 
at  Lake  Newnham,  Portland  at  Gearhart  on  the  Sea,  and  Seattle  and  Tacoma  on 
the  Sound.  Tacoma  has  donated  the  Japanese  Tea  House  from  the  Seattle- 
Alaska   Exposition,    making   an   ideally   beautiful    resort. 

The  conscientious  work  of  our  student  secretary  among  our  thirty-three  stu- 
dent Associations,  for  two  previous  years  has  resulted  this  year  in  a  marked 
advance  in  the  numbers  enrolled,  in  the  quality  of  Bible  and  mission  study  work 
done,  in  more  cordial  co-operation  of  faculties,  and  in  increased  popularity  with 
the  students.  Great  advance  was  also  shown  in  the  planning  for  and  conducting 
of  our  technical  conferences.  It  is  with  sincere  regret  that  we  accept  the  resigna- 
tion of  Miss  Lucy  J.  Hopkins.  We  love  and  appreciate  her  for  her  sterling  quali- 
ties and  wish  her  Godspeed  in  her  new  life.  As  we  speed  our  parting  secretary, 
we  extend  a  cordial  welcome  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Fox  and  assure  her  of  our  loyal 
support. 

In  starting  upon  our  second  year,  the  only  discouraging  feature  is  the  loss 
of  some  of  our  most  valuable  committee  members.  One  by  removal  from  the 
Northwest,  three  by  ill  health,  and  one  by  summons  to  her  heavenly  home.  The 
bacilli  of  wanderlust  have  infected  the  remaining  number,  so  that  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  chairman,  every  one  has  been  on  an  extended  journey  to  the  East,  to 
Europe,  or  to  the  Orient.  While  their  absence  has  interrupted  committee  work, 
we  confidently  expect  to  reap  our  reward  in  the  broader  outlook  they  will  bring 
back  with  them.  Time  fails  me  to  speak  of  the  work  at  the  Chautauqua  assem- 
blies and  in  the  hop  fields.  We  are  still  a  home  missionary  field,  and  our  greatest 
need  is  for  a  trained  helper  for  a  year,  to  assist,  develop,  and  unify  the  field, 
to  organize  county  work,  and  to  study  the  possibilities  of  extension  work  in  fruit 
canneries,  fish  canneries,  and  other  occupations  where  a  short  season  attracts  a 
mixed  company  of  people. 

Some  pertinent  facts  in  the  growth  of  the  Association  work  in  the  Northwest 
are   the   following: 

They  have  unitedly  put  in  circulation  $148,626.65  during  the  year  1910.  In 
order  to  do  this  they  have  asked  the  public  to  give  but  $16,370.05;  our  Associa- 
tions average  ninety-two  per  cent  of  self  support.  With  the  need  of  advance 
work  in  our  rapidly  growing  communities  no  Association  should  exceed  this  pro- 
portion; our  Association  membership  has  doubled  during  the  last  two  years.  The 
number  and  membership  in  our  clubs  has  tripled  in  the  same  time.    The  attendance 


60  Third  Biennial  Convention 

at  the  Northwest  Conference  has  increased  by  one  fourth  in  two  years;  the  secre- 
tarial force  has  doubled.  The  Bible  study  enrollment  has  quadrupled;  every  city 
Association  but  one,  and  four  fifths  of  the  Student  Associations  gave  through  their 
membership,  to  the  extension  of  the  Foreign,  World's  National,  and  Territorial 
work.  No  fuller  testimony  to  their  belief  in  the  importance  of  the  Association 
could  be  offered.  We  have  five  general  secretaries  in  student  centers  as  over 
against  two,  two  years  ago.  Twenty-eight  of  our  seventy-three  secretaries  have 
come  into  the  work  through  the  student  department;  twelve  of  these  are  from 
the  Northwest.  One  missionary  went  into  the  field  this  year  from  our  student  As- 
sociation and  another  is  under  appointment;  we  have  served  upward  of  50,cxx> 
women  through  our  Travelers'  Aid  and  placed  more  than  8,000  in  positions. 

Through  the  work  of  the  four  Associations,  with  which  are  connected  Depart- 
ments of  Public  Safety  for  Women,  more  than  a  thousand  young  women  each, 
year  have  been  helped  through  some  serious  difficulty,  legal,  moral,  or  economic. 
In  each  of  these  cities  the  city  councils  help  to  support  this  work.  The  service 
of  these  departments  in  connection  with  the  second  World's  Coast  Exposition  has 
been  incalculable.  And  yet  the  demands  are  coming  in  to  us  for  more  extended 
work  than  our  present  equipment  can  accomplish.  The  amount  of  work  that  can 
be  done  is  really  only  limited  by  workers  and  time  and  means. 

The  outlook  for  the  future  is  fair  with  promise.  The  attitude  of  our  Com- 
mittee is  one  of  gratitude  that  we  have  been  thought  worthy  to  help  to  bring 
the  Christ  life  into  the  lives  of  these  thousand  young  women  in  our  dear  Northwest. 

At  the  close  of  the  reading  of  the  Reports  of  the  Territorial  Commit- 
tees, the  Chairman  read  to  the  Convention  communications  from  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  of  Asheville, 
N.  C,  and  from  the  Asheville  Board  of  Trade,  cordially  inviting  the  Young 
Womens'  Christian  Associations  of  the  United  States  of  America,  to  hold 
their  Fourth  Biennial  Convention  in  Asheville. 

Adjournment. 


On  Thursday  evening,  a  reception  of  Delegates  by  the  National  Board,, 
was  held  at  the  Claypool  Hotel. 

Friday  Morning 

The  Convention  met  at  9.30,  Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds,  Second  Vice- 
President  presiding. 

After  leading  the  devotions  Miss  Reynolds  read  to  the  Convention  the 
Rules  governing  the  conduct  of  the  business  of  the  Convention,  previously 
adopted. 


Business  of  the  Convention  61 

The  Chairman:  About  two  years  ago  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  shown 
through  one  of  those  marvelous  cotton  mills  of  the  South,  and  as  the  superin- 
tendent went  from  one  part  of  the  building  to  another,  he  called  my  attention 
to  certain  pieces  of  machinery.  I  remember  one  very  interesting  machine  for  the 
weaving  of  certain  patterns,  and  that  machine  went  on  and  on  with  its  work, 
until  by  chance  one  thread  dropped.  This  interfered  with  the  pattern,  it  broke 
the  harmony,  it  destroyed  the  perfection  of  the  piece  of  work;  and  that  marvelous 
combination  of  so  many  varieties,  shapes,  and  forms  of  steel,  stopped,  also,  when 
that  single  thread  broke.  But  it  tried  once,  twice,  three  times,  four  times,  to 
pick  up  the  thread.  It  was  nothing  but  a  block  of  steel,  yet  it  tried  four  times 
to  pick  up  the  thread  and  continue  the  perfect  pattern ;  and  then  it  stopped  auto- 
matically. Now,  the  analogy  may  not  be  quite  perfect  in  detail,  but  I  think  we 
all  recognize  that  in  the  machinery  of  the  National  Board  there  are  various 
shapes  and  sizes  and  forms  and  uses,  and  yet  on  the  efficiency  of  the  whole  Board 
depends  the  perfection  of  each  part  in  fulfilling  its  work;  and  we  may  try  once, 
thrice,  many  times,  yet  if  there  is  a  flaw  in  the  machinery,  the  pattern  is  lost  in 
Its  completeness. 

In  the  matter  which  we  have  before  us  this  morning,  the  report  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Basis  for  Support,  we  have  one  of  those  vital  questions  which  we  may 
call  mundane  and  secular,  or  any  other  disrespectful  name  we  may  wish,  but  after 
all,  on  that  very  question  the  perfection  of  the  whole  pattern  depends — the  pattern 
which  is  to  be  submitted  to  our  Lord  and  Master. 

I  would  remind  you  that  this  Committee  was  appointed  two  years  ago,  at  St. 
Paul,  not  as  a  Committee  of  the  National  Board,  or  from  the  Board,  but  dis- 
tinctly and  definitely  as  a  Committee  from  the  field,  appointed  by  the  Conven- 
tion, in  order  that  in  presenting  their  report  they  should  have  the  field  view- 
point. As  we  listen  to  the  reading  of  this  report  and  to  its  conclusions,  we  may 
be  tempted  to  say  "I  don't  really  see  how  it  could  take  two  years  to  make  out  a 
little  thing  like  that."  All  I  wish  to  say  is  that  the  work  represented  by  this 
report  Is  one  far  beyond  what  we  can  any  of  us  properly  grasp  or  understand. 
It  has  meant  a  vast  amount  of  careful  Investigation,  and  very  particular  query- 
ing, as  to  everything  that  would  make  this  report  not  only  practical  and  definite, 
tut  reliable.  And  so,  in  asking  Miss  Prentiss,  of  Buffalo,  the  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Basis  for  Support,  to  read  that  report  to  you,  I  ask  you,  also,  to 
listen  to  the  report  with  an  understanding  of  the  labor  that  has  been  involved, 
with  the  assurance  that  It  has  been  worked  out  from  the  field  viewpoint,  with 
the  realization  that  It  is  based,  not  on  theories,  but  on  carefully  compiled  and 
digested  selected  facts,  given  by  you  from  your  own  Associations,  from  your  own 
standpoint,  from  the  replies  to  letters  sent  to  the  Associations  all  over  the  country. 

I  will  now  ask  Miss  Prentiss  to  present  the  report  of  the  Committee 
■on  Basis  for  Support. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Prentiss,  Buffalo:  Madame  Chairman  and  members  of  the 
Convention;  Two  years  ago  you  appointed  the   Committee  on  Basis  for   Support. 


62  Third  Biennial  Convention 

You  have  probably  forgotten  that  you  did  it,  but  I  have  not  forgotten  it,  be- 
cause I  sat  in  the  front  row  there,  with  my  heart  thumping  hard  and  wondering 
just  what  it  meant  to  be  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Basis  for  Support.  You 
gave  us  perfect  freedom  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Committee  as  we  saw  best. 
And  the  unusual  part  of  it  is  that  this  Committee  doesn't  report  until  after  two 
years.  Usually,  as  we  know,  in  our  local  Associations,  our  committees  report  once 
a  month. 

Our  Chairman  has  referred  to  the  hard  work  of  the  Committee,  and  before 
reading  the  report  I  would  like  to  refer  to  a  few  of  its  privileges,  and  then  to 
a  few   discoveries  that  this  Committee  has  been  able  to  make. 

The  first  privilege  is  that  of  knowing  the  National  Board  and  of  working 
with  Miss  Dodge;  and  I  want  to  say  that  many  of  the  things  would  not  have 
been  possible  if  she  had  not  been  back  of  us  in  all  this  work.  Then  I  want  to 
refer  to  the  privilege  of  knowing  the  national  secretaries  better.  I  got  so  well 
acquainted  with  them  that  they  asked  me  to  a  birthday  party.  And  the  privilege 
of  knowing  the  Field,  as  we  did,  through  the  replies  to  the  questionnaire,  which 
were  so  responsive,  so  loyal  to  the  work.  Then  the  privilege  of  that  wonderful 
trip  I  made  through  the  East,  the  South,  and  the  West.  It  was  a  tour  de  luxe,  if 
anybody  ever  had  one,  and  the  reception  accorded  me  was  certainly  equal  to  any 
reception  Mr.  Roosevelt  has  ever  had  in  any  of  his  trips,  because  the  wives  of 
the  men  who  greeted  him  came  to  greet  me.  In  fact,  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  I  were 
entertained  at  the  Union  League  Club  in  Chicago  on  the  same  day!  As  I  look 
into  your  faces  I  don't  see  just  an  imposing  Convention,  as  I  would  have  done 
at  St.  Paul,  before  I  knew  you,  but  I  see  faces  of  women  who  said  encouraging 
words  to  me  and  who  did  courteous  and  kindly  things  for  me  while  I  was  on 
that  trip. 

Then  as  to  some  of  the  discoveries  that  I  made:  There  is  one  not  at  all 
original,  but  which  has  impressed  me,  and  that  is  just  what  "national"  means.  I 
always  thought  that  the  National  Board  had  the  exclusive  right  to  the  word 
"  national,"  but  since  I  have  been  working  on  this  Committee,  I  find  we  are  all 
national.  Whether  we  are  student  workers,  city  workers,  or  whatever  our  po- 
sition maj'^  be,  we  are  all  part  of  a  national  body. 

And  also  I  discovered  the  worth  of  a  national  secretary's  opinion.  In  our 
local  work  we  decide  things  according  to  our  local  experiences,  but  I  found 
that  while  I  had  an  opinion  as  to  matters  in  New  England,  when  I  went  to  the 
South  my  opinion  changed;  and  when  I  went  to  the  Middle  West  my  opinion 
changed  again;  so  that  when  a  national  person  has  an  opinion  it  is  worth  while 
considering. 

Then  I  discovered  that  in  every  place  I  went  they  had  peculiar  conditions! 
I  was  constantly  greeted  with  the  remark:  "You  know  conditions  here  are  rather 
peculiar;  our  Board  hasn't  yet  awakened  to  bigger  things,"  etc. 

Moreover,  too,  I  discovered  that  we  have  the  very  best  women  of  the  com- 
munities on  our  local  boards.     They  came  out  splendidly  to  the  meetings. 

And  you  will  doubtless  ask,  "but  didn't  you  discover  anything  lacking?" 
Surely  you   would   not   expect   me   to   report   everything   perfect.      So   I   might   say 


Business  of  the  Convention  63 

that  I  found  that  some  Associations  were  satisfied  with  just  a  cafeteria,  or  just 
a  gymnasium,  when  they  ought  to  be  doing  something  bigger.  Or  I  might  say 
that  some  of  the  Associations  were  satisfied  with  an  inadequate  building.  But 
these  would  only  be  illustrations  of  the  thought.  And  what  is  that  thought? 
That  thought,  in  just  a  word,  is  that  we,  as  women,  have  been  working  too  long 
with  our  human  strength  and  our  human  vigor,  and  our  human  natures,  and  the 
work  is  getting  too  big  for  our  human  natures.  It  is  time  that  we  add  something  to 
the  work  besides  our  human  nature.  If  we  have  done  as  well  as  we  have  with 
our  human  natures,  with  our  human  strength,  what  might  we  be  doing  if  we 
drew  upon  the  Divine  Source  that  is  ours  if  we  want  it.  You  ask  how  I  know 
this  and  why  I  say  this.  It  is  because  I  find  women  are  doing,  everywhere,  what 
they  want  to  do,  and  not,  possibly,  what  they  ought  to  do.  Women  say  "  I  don't 
like  to  raise  money,"  and  they  don't  raise  money.  Other  women  say,  "  I  don't 
like  to  make  speeches,"  and  they  don't  make  speeches.  Therefore,  I  say,  if  we 
had  this  Divine  power  that  we  should  have,  we  would  not  be  saying  "  I  will 
do  this,  and  I  won't  do  that."  We  would  not  be  limiting  the  Lord's  power  by 
our  wills.  Women  talk  and  talk,  and  discuss  and  discuss  at  board  meetings. 
And  yet  they  don't  like  to  make  speeches!  Have  you  ever  heard,  at  board 
meeting,  a  discussion  that  lasted  a  long  time,  as  to  whether  you  could  afford 
an  industrial  secretary,  or  whether  you  could  afford  to  send  some  one  to  a  con- 
vention? We  can  talk,  if  we  want  to  talk.  So  don't  you  think  that  the  work 
has  gotten  too  big  for  our  human  natures,  and  hasn't  the  time  come  when  we 
ought  to  put  into  it  something  more  than  that — something  of  the  Divine  nature? 

Miss  Prentiss  then  read  to  the  Convention  from  the  Report  of  the 
Committee  on  Basis  for  Support,  copies  of  which  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
delegates. 


REPORT    OF    THE    COMMITTEE    ON    BASIS    FOR    SUPPORT 

Election  and  Purpose  of  the   Committee 

The  Committee  on  Basis  for  Support  was  created  by  the  National  Convention 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
held  in  1909,  to  report  to  the  next  convention  a  basis  for  the  support  of  the  terri- 
torial or  state,  the  national  and  ivorld's  work. 

The  personnel  of  the  committee  was  designed  to  include  the  president  of  the 
National  Board  and  seven  members  from  the  field,  representing  different  sections 
of  the  country  and  the  various  phases  of  Association  work,  state  and  territorial, 
student  and  city.  The  committee  was  empowered  by  the  convention  to  fill  any 
vacancies  in  membership  which  might  occur. 

The  members  chosen  by  the  convention  were:  Chairman,  Miss  Mary  E.  Prentiss, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Buffalo,  New  York,  city  Association; 
members,  Miss  Grace  H.   Dodge,  president  of  the   National  Board;   Mrs.  Albert 


64  Third  Biennial  Convention 

S.  Best,  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Committee,  Mrs.  Goulding  Marr,  member 
of  South  Central  Territorial  Committee;  Mrs.  George  H.  Fowler,  president  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  city  Association;  Miss 
Harriet  S.  Vance,  general  secretary  of  the  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  city  Asso- 
ciation; Miss  Abby  McElroy,  then  executive  secretary  for  the  Territorial  Com- 
mittee for  California,  Arizona  and  Nevada,  and  Miss  Augusta  Brown,  then  state 
student  secretary  for  Iowa.  Mrs.  Fowler  was  unable  to  serve  on  the  committee, 
and  Mrs.  Donald  Dey,  president  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Syracuse,  New 
York,  city  Association,  representing  the  same  work  and  territory,  was  appointed 
in  her  place.  To  fill  the  vacancies  caused  by  the  resignations  of  Miss  McElroy, 
representing  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  Miss  Brown,  representing  the  student  work, 
following  a  change  in  their  official  positions.  Miss  Frances  C.  Gage,  executive 
secretary  for  the  Northwestern  Territorial  Committee,  and  Miss  Maude  Corbett, 
•student  secretary  for  the  North  Central  Territorial  Committee,  were  named. 

While  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  have  been  doing  organized 
work  for  many  years,  our  present  national  body  of  affiliated  Associations  is  only 
four  years  old.  We  find  ourselves  in  a  unique  situation.  At  maturity  we  have  the 
privilege  of  looking  ourselves  over  by  the  light  of  years  of  experience  and  of 
reconstructing  our  habits  and  character. 

In  1907,  at  the  first  meeting  for  organization  after  the  union  of  the  Inter- 
national Board  of  Women's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  and  the 
American  Committee,  we  did  just  one  great  thing;  we  decided  upon  our  spiritual 
motive,  the  underlying  principle  which  makes  and  keeps  us  one,  and  which  de- 
mands that  we  advance  to  meet  the  need  of  the  times.  At  our  next  gathering  we 
•did  just  one  more  great  thing:  we  chose  our  marching  orders — adopted  our  con- 
stitution. 

We  are  now  asked  to  provide  for  making  our  organization  permanent.  Until 
this  convention  the  national  movement  has  not  been  sufficiently  co-ordinated  or 
developed  that  either  its  possibilities  or  requirements  could  be  definitely  presented. 
The  Association  is  now  in  a  position  to  view  its  opportunities  intelligently  and  to 
plan  broadly  for  the  future. 

In  the  meantime  our  National  Board  has  been  doing  the  greatest  thing  which 
the  leaders  of  an  organization  could  do.  With  the  help  of  a  comparatively  few 
friends  who  have  been  given  a  vision  of  the  future,  it  has  built  up  its  working 
plant,  and  can  present  a  corps  of  specialists,  a  store  of  method,  an  exhibit  of 
■work  accomplished,  that  covers  the  need  of  the  young  women  of  our  country — 
not  merely  the  demand  of  our  Associations — and  has  paid  the  cost.  At  the  last 
Biennial  Convention  it  was  felt  that  the  time  had  come  when  the  national  de- 
velopment must  depend  more  largely  than  in  the  past  upon  the  support  of  the 
field,  and  that  the  field  was  ready  to  assume  its  proper  responsibility.  The  elec- 
tion of  this  committee  was  therefore  a  natural  sequence  of  development. 

The  National  Budget 

The  national  budget  of  expense  includes  the  budget  of  the  National  Board 
and   the   budgets   of  the   state   committees. 


Business  of  the  Convention 


65 


The  budget  of  the  National  Board  may  be  roughly  divided  into  four  parts: 

Percentage  of  total  budget, 
(i)      For   headquarters     63 

(2)  Territorial  offices     27 

(3)  Contribution  to  the  World's  Committee   i 

(4)  Support  of  foreign  Associations    9 

Statement  of  Associations  Contributing  to  Headquarters  in  1910 


Student 

City 

Exten- 
sion 

637 
231 
241 

189 
53 
106 

9 

4 

World's  work 

6 

Total  Expenditures  and  Total  Contributions  from  Associations  for  Headquarters, 
Territorial,  and  State  Supervisory  Work  in  1910 


Expenditures 

Receipt 

s  from  Associations 

Student 

City  and 
Extension 

Total 

Total                 

$239,627 
IS5.547 
66,000) 

)      80,000 
14,000) 

4.080 

S14.049 
2,448 

10,500 

1,101 

S8,i95 
2,219 

4.500 

1.476 

$22,244 

4.667 

State            

15.000 

World           

2,577 

The  Problem   of  the  Committee 

The  words  basis  for  support  convey  a  serious  meaning,  and  it  was  no  small 
task  which  confronted  your  committee.  The  question  of  support  must  be  con- 
sidered from  the  national  and  from  the  local  point  of  view.  The  relationship  be- 
tween the  national  and  the  local  work  must  be  discovered,  and  the  committee  must 
reduce  that  relationship,  we  may  say,  to  dollars  and  cents.  It  had  not  only  to 
propose  a  plan  of  support  that  would  be  adequate  for  the  present  development 
of  the  national  work,  and  so  conceived  that  it  would  be  expansive  with  the  need 
of  the  Association  movement,  but  to  evolve  a  working  plan  which  would  provide 
for  a  fair  distribution  of  the  burden. 

The  first  step  after  the  organization  of  the  committee  was  to  gather  up  the 
data  which  have  already  been  given  concerning  present  conditions.  With  this 
material  in  hand  two  main  lines  of  investigation  were  followed:  (i)  What  are 
other  organizations  doing?  (2)  What,  in  the  opinion  of  our  own  membership, 
ought  we  to  do? 

(i)  The  officers  of  twenty-four  other  organizations  and  of  various  church 
boards  were  consulted,  and  the  committee  wishes  to  acknowledge  gratefully  the 
uniformly  courteous  response  which  its  inquiries  received.  In  every  case  except 
five  it  was  found  that  some  regular  contribution  was  made  by  the  local  to  the 
national  body,  the  amount  varying  from  five  to  seventy-five  cents  a  member,  and 
covering  from  one  ninth  to  two  thirds  or  all  of  the  national  budget. 


66  Third  Biennial  Convention 

(2)  The  committee  was  from  the  first  convinced  that  local  co-operation  was 
essential  to  success,  and  in  the  belief  that  from  the  field  itself  the  committee  must 
get  its  real  help,  an  earnest  effort  has  been  made  to  secure  the  advice  and  opin- 
ions of  local  workers. 

The  first  approach  to  the  field  was  through  a  questionnaire  which  was  sent 
to  every  city  Association,  with  copies  for  the  president,  the  treasurer,  and  the 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee  of  the  board  of  directors,  and  to  every  student 
secretary  and  some  student  members.  The  questionnaire  was  accompanied  with 
a  statement  of  present  financial  conditions,  and  the  questions  asked  were  intended 
to  call  forth  frank  expressions  of  opinion.  The  replies  to  that  questionnaire  were 
numerous  and  illumining. 

There  was  general  recognition  of  a  responsibility,  but  the  suggestions  as 
to  just  what  that  responsibility  is  and  how  it  should  be  met,  were  so  varied  that 
some  means  of  crystallizing  them  became  necessary.  The  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee was  able  to  attend  the  Silver  Bay  and  Lake  Geneva  city  conferences  for 
personal  discussion  with  local  workers,  and  Miss  Prentiss  met  with  the  Boards 
of  forty  Associations  in  the  East  and  Middle  West,  and  Miss  Gage  visited  six- 
teen Associations  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  These  meetings  were  usually  held  with  full 
Board  attendance,  so  that  the  committee  came  into  touch  with  a  large  number 
of  workers. 

It  is  from  the  field,  itself,  therefore,  that  the  committee  has  received  the  ad- 
vice and  assistance  which  has  led  to  its  conclusions,  and  the  committee  wishes 
to  express  its  sincere  appreciation  of  the  cordial  co-operation  which  has  been  met 
on  every  hand. 

Findings 

The  World's  Committee.  Our  responsibility  to  the  World's  Committee  is 
definite.  The  National  Association  is  pledged  to  a  yearly  contribution  of  two 
cents  a  member,  or,  for  this  year,  $4,000. 

The  pledge  to  the  World's  Committee  is  a  part  of  the  budget  of  the  National 
Board,  and  your  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  special  collections  for  this  pur- 
pose should  be  discontinued,  and  that  the  regular  contributions  of  Associations 
to  the  national  organization  should  be  made  sufficient  to  cover  this  item. 

Foreign  Association  Work. — Our  contributions  for  this  purpose  represent  the 
foreign  missionary  interest  of  our  Associations,  and  while  our  responsibility  to  the 
foreign  work  is  great,  the  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  cannot  at  this  time  be 
definitely  apportioned.  The  realization  of  the  responsibility  must  to  a  large 
extent  depend  upon  the  interest  which  can  be  aroused,  and  because  this  branch  of 
the  work  is  still  almost  in  its  infancy  in  development,  it  would  not  seem  wise  to 
place  any  limit  upon  its  advance. 

Your  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  contribution  to  foreign  Association 
ivork  should  continue  to  be  in  such  an  amount  and  raised  by  such  means  as  the 
individual  Association  may  elect. 

Supervisory  Work. — We  come,  then,  to  the  general  consideration  of  support 
for  the  supervisory  work,  which  will  include  the  budget  of  the  National  Board  for 


Business  of  the  Convention  67 

headquarters  and  territorial  work  and  its  contribution  to  the  World's  Committee, 
and  the  budgets  of  the  State  committees. 

After  carefully  considering  the  problem  from  the  standpoint  of  both  the  local 
and  the  national  ivork,  the  committee  is  prepared  to  state,  as  it  believes,  with  the 
advice  of  the  field,  that  the  local  Associations  should  aim  to  be  responsible  for  car- 
rying fifty  per  cent  of  the  national  budget  deficit. 

The  term  budget  deficit  is  defined  to  mean  the  difference  between  income  and 
expenditure.  Since  the  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  foreign  Association  work, 
as  a  missionary  interest,  should  be  separately  provided  for,  the  term  budget  deficit 
as  used  in  this  report  will  be  taken  to  mean  the  total  expenditures  less  the  amount 
used  for  foreign  Association  work  and  the  income  from  the  departments  of  Confer- 
ences and  Conventions,  Publications  and  the  National  Training  School. 

The  committee  has  borne  in  mind  one  of  the  principles  under  which  the  Na- 
tional Association  was  organized,  that  there  should  never  be  anything  in  the  way 
of  a  tax  upon  the  local  Associations. 

During  the  discussion  upon  the  resolution  under  which  this  committee  was 
appointed,  the  following  statement  was  made:  "The  voluntary  principle  should 
always  be  the  principle  to  be  observed,  but  the  voluntary  principle  does  not  mean 
that  there  should  be  no  business  method  back  of  it." 

After  the  conclusion  was  reached  that  it  is  our  responsibility  as  local  Asso- 
ciations to  carry  at  least  fifty  per  cent  of  the  national  budget  deficit,  the  dis- 
covery of  a  "  business  method  "  under  which  contributions  may  be  made  resolved 
itself  into  a  study  of  the  merits  of  the  membership  and  the  budget  bases. 

Student  Associations. — Except  in  those  Associations  which  employ  a  general 
secretary,  which  is  done  in  but  forty-five  of  the  six  hundred  and  fifty-nine  student 
Associations,  the  budget  of  the  student  Association  is  principally  made  up  of  a  few 
items  of  which  the  largest  is  probably  for  missionary  contribution.  The  main 
source  of  receipts  is  the  membership  fee.  Colleges  are  usually  located  in  small 
towns  and  the  townspeople  do  not  have  the  same  proprietary  interest  in  the  col- 
lege Association  which  they  have  in  the  city  Association,  so  that  the  field  for  per- 
sonal contributors  is  practically  limited  to  the  college  community  of  faculty  and 
students.  For  these  reasons  your  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  membership 
basis  should  be  adopted  for  student  Associations. 

Student  Associations  have  already  begun  to  make  some  proportionate  contri- 
bution toward  supervisory  work,  the  amount  varying  from  twenty-five  to  forty  or 
fifty  per  cent  of  the  receipts  from  membership  fees.  After  a  study  of  the  question, 
and  with  the  advice  of  student  secretaries  and  members,  your  committee  is  of  the 
opinion  that  a  contribution  of  forty  per  cent  of  the  receipts  from  membership  fees 
may  properly  be  expected  from  student  Associations  tonvard  the  support  of  the 
supervisory  ivork. 

City  Associations. — In  the  course  of  study  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  city 
Association  it  developed  that  to  adopt  the  membership  basis  for  city  Associations 
would  tend  to  place  a  disproportionately  heavy  burden  upon  the  small  city  Asso- 
ciation. The  budget  may  also  be  considered  as  the  recording  gauge  of  Association 
activity.     The   growth  of   each   department   is  shown,  the   demand  for  equipment 


68  Third  Biennial  Convention 

is  shown,  the  outreach  of  the  work  in  every  direction  is  easily  read  in  the  budget. 
And  with  this  growth  we  may  presume  that  the  Association  is  calling  for  more 
advice  and  help  from  the  National  Association,  and  that  it  is  in  turn  able  to  give 
more  largely  to  the  National  Association. 

Your  committee  is  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  budget  should  be  adopted 
as  the  basis  for  contribution  for  city  Associations,  and  it  believes  that  four  per  cent 
of  each  city  Association  budget  luould  be  a  proper  standard  for  contribution. 

Extension  Associations. — The  work  of  the  Associations  in  mill  villages  and 
industrial  and  rural  communities  is  in  general  conducted  along  lines  similar  to  the 
work  of  city  Associations. 

Your  committee  is  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  basis  recommended  for 
city  Associations  should  be  adopted  for  extension  Associations. 

Forty  per  cent  of  student  membership  receipts  and  four  per  cent  of  city  and 
extension  Association  budgets  would  somewhat  more  than  equal  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  national  budget  deficit,  as  the  terra  has  been  defined  in  this  report. 

FURTHER   RESPONSIBILITY 

The  fact  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  that  even  when  local  Associations  shall 
be  carrying  fifty  per  cent  of  the  budget  deficit,  there  will  be  still  another  fifty  per 
cent  which  must  be  secured,  and  in  the  securing  of  which  our  co-operation  will  be 
needed. 

At  present  two  possibilities  for  such  co-operation  suggest  themselves:  (i)  Ef- 
fort to  secure  personal  contributors  for  the  national  work;  (2)  Joint  finance 
campaigns. 

A  rising  vote  of  appreciation  of  the  report,  being  called  for  by  the 
Chairman,  was  given  unanimously. 

Miss  Prentiss  was  then  asked  to  read  the  Recommendations  based  on 
the  report  of  the  Committee.  It  was  pointed  out  that  while  there  were 
sub-divisions  the  whole  might  be  called  one  recommendation ;  that  they 
could  be  read  as  an  entirety  and  then  discussed  paragraph  by  paragraph. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

Your  committee  begs  to  present  the  following  recommendations: 

I.  That  the  local  Associations  aim  to  assume  the  responsibility  for  securing 
fifty  per  cent  of  the  national  budget  deficit.  (This  will  mean  that  fifty  per  cent  of 
the  territorial  and  State  budgets  and  fifty  per  cent  of  the  headquarters  budget 
deficit  will  be  carried  by  the  local  Associations.) 

II.  That  the  equivalent  of  four  per  cent  of  the  amount  of  each  city  Association 
budget  be  accepted  as  the  standard  for  annual  contribution  from  city  Associations 
toward  the  support  of  the  National  Association. 


Business  of  the  Convention  69 

Appreciating  the  difficulties  which  may  at  first  attend  the  raising  of  this  con- 
tribution by  man}'  Associations,  your  committee  suggests  that  this  standard  may  be 
reached  by  progressive  steps,  as  follows: 

1912 I  per  cent 

1913 2  per  cent 

1914 3  per  cent 

1915 4  per  cent 

III.  That  the  standard  recommended  for  city  Associations  be  also  accepted  for 
extension  Associations. 

IV.  That  an  amount  equal  to  forty  per  cent  of  their  receipts  from  membership 
fees  be  accepted  as  the  standard  for  contribution  from  student  Associations. 

V.  That  each  Association  include  in  its  budget  a  definite  contribution  for  for- 
eign Association  work,  and  endeavor  to  increase  its  contribution  to  this  important 
work  progressively. 

VI.  That  Association  contributions  be  sent  to  the  offices  of  the  territorial  and 
State  committees. 

VII.  That  Associations  and  Association  members  co-operate  with  the  National 
Association  to  assist  in  raising  the  remaining  fifty  per  cent  of  the  national  budget 
deficit  by  seeking  to  interest  persons  who  can  make  large  annual  contributions,  by 
joint  finance  campaigns,  and  in  other  ways  which  may  suggest  themselves. 

The  motion  to  take  the  Recommendations  article  by  article  and  discuss 
each  one,  as  it  was  read,  was  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  I. 

Mrs.  Stephen  Penrose,  VV^alla  Walla,  Wash.:  I  would  like  to  say  a  word  or 
two  on  this  recommendation.  There  is  not  a  woman  here  who  has  not  in  some  way 
benefited  by  the  work  of  the  National  Board.  If  we  have  asked  for  help,  it  has 
been  given  us.  And  yet  we  have  been  expecting  them — we,  of  the  field — to  get 
along  with  voluntary  contributions  of  a  very  slight  character.  For  my  part,  I  want 
to  say  right  here,  as  coming  from  the  field,  as  one  of  those  who  has  benefited,  and, 
perhaps  also,  as  one  of  those  who  must  help  to  raise  the  money,  that  I  hope  that 
just  as  far  as  possible,  every  single  Association  will  come,  as  quickly  as  possible, 
to  this  four-per-cent  basis.  I  not  only  hope  this,  but  I  firmly  believe  that  there 
are  a  great  many  Associations  that  will  be  able  to  assume  this  four  per  cent  of 
their  budget  almost  immediately.  In  view  of  the  long  patience  and  the  willing 
helpfulness  of  the  National  Board  to  us,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  only  right  that  we 
should  do  this.  The  committee  has  suggested  an  easy  way  of  reaching  it,  and  if 
it  be  impossible  to  come  at  once  to  the  four-per-cent  basis,  let  us  most  earnestly 
urge  and  encourage  everyone  to  come  to  it  as  rapidly  as  possible.     (Applause.) 

Miss  Constance  MacCorkle,  Virginia:  It  seems  to  me  that  we  consider  a 
local  Association  on  a  good  basis  if  it  meets  eighty-five  per  cent  of  its  expenses. 


70  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Now,  if  the  National  Board  is  composed  of  local  Associations,  should  we  not  meet  a 
larger  per  cent  of  the  expenses?  I  think  fifty  per  cent  is  too  small,  and  I  think  it 
would  be  a  far  better  financial  policy  to  assume  a  larger  per  cent,  and  then  have 
less  responsibility  in  any  special  finance  campaign,  or  in  any  special  contribution 
work.     It  seems  to  me  that  would  be  a  wiser  policy. 

Miss  M.  Belle  Smith,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. :  I  would  like  to  speak  of  the  efficiency 
of  the  help  of  the  National  Board.  In  Syracuse  we  were  doing  work  along  the 
line  of  the  boarding  home,  and  we  had  a  Travelers'  Aid.  It  was  thought  best 
to  develop  the  work,  and  we  appealed  to  the  National  Board.  They  sent  a  lady  to 
our  rescue.  She  canvassed  the  situation  and  we  took  up  the  work  in  the  different 
branches  in  the  proper  way.  We  were  able  to  secure  a  general  secretary,  which 
we  had  not  had  up  to  that  time,  a  physical  director,  and  also  a  financial  secretary. 
We  have  branched  out  a  good  deal,  renting  rooms  down  town  and  opening  classes. 
We  feel  very  grateful  to  the  National  Board  for  sending  to  us  this  very  capable 
woman. 

Mrs.  Charles  Wetmore,  Connecticut:  I  wish  to  speak  regarding  the  benefits 
of  the  visits  of  the  national  secretaries.  We,  as  a  new  Association,  had  a  secre- 
tary visit  us  when  we  organized.  The  influence  of  that  visit  was  keenly  felt, 
and  gave  us  an  insight  into  the  influence  of  the  National  Board. 

Recommendation  I  having  been  adopted,  the  chairman  read  Recom- 
mendation II. 

Miss  Florence  M.  Brown,  Washington,  D.  C:  I  would  like  to  ask  if  that 
means  the  entire  budget,  or  does  it  mean  four  per  cent  of  the  amount  of  money 
that  you  ask  for  as  a  contribution  to  your  general  fund  ? 

Miss  Prentiss:  It  means  four  per  cent  of  the  total  budget.  The  budgets  of  the 
local  Associations  amount  to  $2,500,000,  and  it  is  that  total  budget  that  we  ask  the 
per  cent  on;  just  as  we  would  have  asked  the  per  cent  on  the  total  membership, 
if  we  had  decided  to  recommend  membership. 

Mrs.  Emma  F.  Byers,  Minneapolis:  I  wish  to  speak  on  the  percentage  of 
budget  from  the  standpoint  of  being  the  best  way  to  get  at  this  very  difficult  situ- 
ation. It  seems  to  me  that  we  should  have  a  percentage  of  the  entire  budget, 
because  every  detail  of  that  entire  budget  has  some  special  relation  to  supervisory 
work.  When  we  build  our  new  buildings,  we  plan  what  the  building  is  going  to 
cost,  and  we  take  into  consideration  the  money  that  shall  be  paid  to  the  architect 
for  his  services.  Perhaps  some  one,  going  over  the  plans,  will  say,  "  No;  we  need 
that  money  for  brick  and  to  pay  the  painters  and  the  builders;  we  have  no  money 
for  an  architect;"  and  so  the  architect  is  cut  out,  and  we  go  on  and  put  up  our 
building  haphazard,  and  you  know  what  kind  of  a  building  we  will  have.  I 
think  that  the  percentage  should  be  upon  the  entire  budget,  because  every  detail 
of  our  work  is  in  some  way  identified  with  supervisory  work.  We  write  to  the 
territorial  office  and  ask  about  how  to  do  something,  and  they  write  and  explain 
how  to  do  that  thing,  and  we  don't  think  of  all  the  money  that  has  been  put  into 
that  one  reply.     The  question  may  arise  as  to  why  we  should  give  a  percentage  on 


Business  of  the  Convention  71 

the  entire  budget.  It  is  because  all  of  these  things  that  enter  into  the  work  re- 
quire the  great  planning  of  a  specialist,  just  as  the  building  requires  the  services 
of  an  architect,  and  I  believe  in  the  method  of  a  percentage  on  the  entire  budget. 
(Applause.) 

Miss  Harriet  Vance,  Pittsburgh:  Madam  Chairman:  There  is  another  point 
that  I  think  should  be  made  with  reference  to  this  per  cent  of  the  budget.  When 
we  consider  that  we  spend  ninety-six  per  cent  on  ourselves,  and  for  the  girls  and 
the  women  of  our  Associations,  four  per  cent  is  not  much  to  give. 

Miss  Helen  F.  Barnes,  New  York:  Madam  Chairman:  I  feel  that  we  ought  to 
be  perfectly  frank  with  reference  to  this,  and  I  just  make  a  plea  for  all  of  you 
to  speak.  When  you  go  home,  do  not  say,  "  I  didn't  have  a  chance  to  speak."  I 
feel  that  perhaps  some  of  our  friends  are  not  saying  what  they  really  want  to  say. 

Mrs.  Henry  W.  Green,  Philadelphia:  When  that  first  recommendation  was 
voted  on,  there  were  some  "  Noes,"  and  I  was  instructed  to  vote  "  No  "  by  my  own 
Association.  People  in  our  Association,  and  a  great  many  others  who  have  talked 
to  me,  have  objected  to  paying  fifty  per  cent  of  an  expenditure  over  which  they 
had  no  control,  and  which  might  go  on  increasing  indefinitely.  But  when  the 
second  clause  comes  in,  of  four  per  cent  of  the  budget,  it  seems  to  me  that  I  can 
conscientiously  vote  for  that,  since  the  committee  has  proved — to  their  own  satis- 
faction, certainly,  and  we  accept  their  computation — that  four  per  cent  of  the 
budget  of  the  local  Associations  will  be  equal  to  that.  It  seems  to  me  that  any 
of  us  who  objected  to  the  fifty  per  cent  of  the  Board's  deficit,  could  conscientiously 
vote  for  this.  I  know  that  we  have  paid  more  than  one  per  cent  for  two  years, 
and  we  will  probably  be  able  to  pay  considerably  more  than  that  in  the  next  year. 
I  thought  that  possibly  might  settle  a  little  disturbance  in  some  people's  minds. 
(Applause.) 

Miss  Jessie  E.  Baldwin,  Cincinnati:  I  know  I  have  heard  some  objections 
made  here  with  reference  to  this  matter.  Our  Association  in  Cincinnati  really 
doesn't  come  up  to  our  expense,  and  I  think  that  four  per  cent  seems  pretty  large. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Stronge,  St.  Paul:  I  think  that  every  woman  here  believes  in  a 
living  wage,  and  when  Miss  Prentiss  came  to  us  last  fall,  our  Association  was 
prepared  to  give  four  per  cent.  We  figured  it  out  and  rather  flattered  ourselves 
that  we  would  not  have  to  pay  any  more,  and  when  we  found  that  Miss  Prentiss 
based  it  upon  this  gradual  growth  of  one  per  cent,  two  per  cent,  three  per  cent, 
and  four  per  cent,  we  were  surprised.  I  do  feel,  as  a  delegate  to  this  Association 
that  we  ought  to  go  back  to  our  city  Associations  and  say  to  them  that  we  ought 
to  at  once  give  our  four  per  cent.  As  I  look  at  the  figures  here  and  find  that 
we  have  only  been  contributing  three  tenths  of  one  per  cent,  I  wonder,  in  my 
own  mind,  what  we  would  think  of  an  employer  if  that  were  the  basis  on  which 
he  ran  his  business.     (Applause.) 

Miss  Helen  A.  Davis,  New  York  City:  Must  we  not  remember  that  we  are 
going  to  promote  work,  in  the  future,  work  that  we  have  never  touched  at  all? 
There  are  foreign  girls  coming  to  our  cities  for  whom  we  are  all  responsible,  and 
our  budget  in  the  future  is  going  to  contain  an  expenditure  for  investigation  along 
that  line.     Are  we  not,  all  of  us,  whether  we  have  a  large  foreign  population  in  our 


72  Third  Biennial  Convention 

individual  cities,  or  not,  responsible  for  the  foreign  girl,  and  must  we  not  think 
of  the  advance  and  the  promotion  of  the  work  that  is  to  be  done  from  this  time  on? 

Miss  Cornelia  Souther,  St.  Louis:  Is  it  presumed  that  the  national  budget 
will  grow  as  the  budgets  of  the  local  Associations  grow?  If  it  is  not  so  presumed, 
then  the  four  per  cent  will  not,  in  the  future,  be  fifty  per  cent. 

The   Chairman:  I  will   ask  Miss  Brown  to  answer  that  question. 

Miss  Augusta  Brown,  New  York  City:  It  is  a  little  hard  to  answer  that  ques- 
tion, since  the  future  is  more  or  less  indefinite,  but  I  think  that  we  might  say  that 
for,  perhaps,  ten  years,  the  proportionate  growth  in  the  two  will  be  about  equal ; 
and  I  think  that  in  the  future  fifty  per  cent  of  our  national  budget  deficit  will  be 
less  than  four  per  cent  of  our  local  Association  budget.  But  I  see  no  reason  why 
we  should  not  put  into  operation  a  standard  of  work  at  the  present  time,  which 
the  future  may  adjust,  as  found  necessary. 

Miss  Ella  Schooley,  St.  Louis:  St.  Louis  this  year  has  given  four  per  cent  of 
its  entire  budget,  to  supervisory  work,  and  we  think  that  that  is  a  very  small 
compensation  for  the  splendid  help  that  we  have  had,  both  from  the  territorial 
committee  and  the  national  workers.     (Applause.) 

Miss  Constance  MacCorkle,  Virginia:  I  should  like  to  know  why  we  as- 
sume fifty  per  cent.  Why  don't  we  assume  a  larger  per  cent?  What  are  we  going 
to  do  about  that  other  fifty  per  cent?  It  seems  to  me  that  while  we  are  making 
a  budget,  we  ought  to  make  it  adequate.  I  feel  that  it  would  be  far  better  if 
we  would  give  even  as  much  as  eight  per  cent  of  our  budget  for  the  National 
Board,  and  then  feel  that  we  were  free  from  responsibility  for  future  contri- 
butions. 

Miss  Prentiss:  There  isn't  any  intention  that  we  are  going  to  raise  money 
for  the  National  Board,  in  addition  to  this  four  per  cent.  However,  the  thought 
is,  that  having  put  that  in  our  budget,  we  are  not  going  to  close  our  doors  if 
we  happen  to  know  some  woman  who  is  perfectly  able  to  support  a  national 
secretary,  or  if  some  one  should  come  from  our  National  Board  and  say  "  Can 
you  introduce  us  to  such  and  such  a  person?" 

Mrs.  F.  S.  Wallace,  Pasadena,  Cal.:  May  I  ask  if  the  personal  contribu- 
tions to  the  territorial  and  national  work  will  go  through  the  local  Associations, 
and  the  local  Associations  be  credited  with  them? 

Miss  Prentiss:  If  we,  as  board  members,  make  small  contributions,  they 
might  go  toward  that  percentage,  but  if  some  woman  in  our  territory  has  given 
a  large  amount  because  the  National  Board  got  her  to  give  that  large  amount, 
we  cannot  credit  that  to  our  part  of  the  fifty  per  cent.  But  the  smaller  pledges 
that  we  raise  ourselves  can  be  counted  in  the  four  per  cent. 

Mrs.  L.  C.  Mastick,  New  York:  We  have  had  the  encouragement  of  hear- 
ing of  one  Association  which  has  given  four  per  cent.  Would  it  not  be  help- 
ful to  us  to  know  if  there  are  any  other  Associations  which  already  have  that 
record,  or  if  there   are  Associations  here  that  have  given  one  per  cent? 

Mrs.  F.  S.  Wallace,  Pasadena,  Cal.:  We  have  given  about  four  per  cent 
to  territorial  and  national.     The  national  got  a  small   proportion  of  it. 

Mrs.  E.  J.  Carpenter,  Seattle:  I  would  like  to  let  you  know  that  every  city 


Business  of  the  Convention  73 

Association  in  the  Northwest  Territory  has  given  one  per  cent  to  the  super- 
visory work,  and  that  four  fifths  of  the  student  Associations  have  given  their 
full    proportion.      (Applause.) 

Miss  Elizabeth  Hughes,  Cincinnati:  Not  long  ago  I  called  upon  a  business 
man  and  asked  him  for  a  contribution  to  territorial  work.  After  I  had  explained 
to  him  our  methods  of  raising  money  in  Ohio  and  West  Virginia,  he  said:  "You 
are  going  at  this  in  the  wrong  way;  It  is  an  almost  impossible  proposition  that 
you  have  before  you,  and  we  men  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
are  finding  it  out.  You  must  go  at  it  in  a  large  way,  in  a  combination,  and  we 
men  will  come  in  and  help  you."  In  the  State  of  Ohio,  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  has  raised  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and 
of  that  amount  fifty  thousand  dollars  has  been  pledged  for  the  local  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  and  in  one  city,  where  they  thought  they  couldn't 
raise   anything,   they  have   raised  $35,000  for   supervisory  work. 

Recommendation    II   was  then   adopted. 
The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  III. 

Mrs.  Burdette  G.  Lewis,  New  York  City:  I  want  to  say  that  the  Extension 
Associations  will  subscribe  to  that.  I  know  the  girls  will  do  it,  and  I  have 
gone  to  the  managers,  who  have  said,  "  Don't  we  have  to  pay  you  anything  for 
the  help  of  the  national  and  territorial  work?"  I  think  they  will  co-operate  In 
this   plan. 

Miss  Maude  Corbett,  Minneapolis:  I  am  very  glad  that  this  recommen- 
dation with  reference  to  student  work  has  been  made.  To  the  student  Asso- 
ciation, advisory  work  means  everything,  and  I  feel  quite  sure  that  the  student 
Associations  can  and  are  willing  to  give  their  forty  per  cent. 

Miss  Helen  Sewall,  Cincinnati:  I  think  the  fifty  student  Associations  In 
Ohio  and  West  Virginia  will  be  able  to  come  up  to  that  percentage  in  a  short 
time.  This  last  year  forty  per  cent  would  have  been  sixteen  hundred  dollars, 
and  they  have  given  fourteen  hundred  dollars  to  the  territorial  and  national 
work.  Some  of  the  Associations  are  giving  a  good  deal  more  than  forty  per 
cent,  and  several  have  not  given  anything  In  the  past  year,  but  I  think  that  this 
will   appeal   to  them. 

Miss  Mildred  Rutherford,  Georgia:  Madame  Chairman:  I  should  like  very 
much  to  know  If  the  contributions  that  are  made  to  the  National  Board  at  our 
summer  conferences,  are  to  be  Included  In  this  percentage?  I  am  very  much 
in  favor  of  a  liberal  proportion.  My  experience  has  been  that  the  more  we 
give  the  greater  is  the  blessing.  The  National  Board  has  been  very  good  to 
us  and  we  are  greatly  Indebted  to  them,  and  I  say  that  we,  in  our  part  of  the 
territory,    want   to    give    liberally.      (Applause.) 

The  Chairman:  As  one  who  has  been  happily  associated  with  Miss  Ruther- 
ford for  many  years,  I  am  very  glad  to  say  that  her  deeds  are  much  larger  than 
her  words.    Will  Miss  Augusta  Brown  kindly  answer  Miss  Rutherford's  question? 


74  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Miss  Augusta  Brown,  New  York  City:  Does  Miss  Rutherford  mean  personal 
subscriptions,  or  Association  subscriptions? 

Miss  Rutherford:  I  refer  to  all. 

Miss  Augusta  Brown:  There  will  be  no  Association  pledges  taken  at  the 
summer  conferences  this  year,  or  any  year  in  the  future.  It  has  not  been  the 
thought  that  personal  subscriptions  taken  at  summer  conferences  will  be  credited 
to  any  particular  section  of  the  country,  or  to  any  particular  Association,  but 
that  they  will  be  considered  to  be  the  offerings  of  those  girls  who  are  in  our 
summer  conferences  for  the   summer  conference,   and   all   that  it  means  to  them. 

Miss  Anna  D.  Casler,  North  Carolina:  The  Virginia  student  Associations, 
in  the  Virginia-Carolina  field,  have,  for  almost  two  years,  given  practically 
forty  per  cent,  with  the  exception  of  some  very  weak  Associations,  in  schools 
for  the  blind  and  deaf  and  dumb.  I  feel  that  we  can  ask  that  amount  because 
our  girls  have   proved  that  they  want  to  do  it. 

Mrs.  Lester  McLean,  Colorado:  The  student  Associations  in  Colorado,  for 
four  years,  have  given  fifty  per  cent  to  the  supervisory  work,  and  they  have 
done  it  gladly,  willingly,  and  each  year  pledges  have  come  in  from  each  As- 
sociation.    (Applause.) 

The  Recommendation  was  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  IV;  it  was  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  V. 

The  Chairman:  As  far  as  it  is  my  privilege  to  know  the  definite  details 
of  finance,  it  seems  to  me  there  is  no  part  of  our  work  that  is  at  present  so 
hopeful,  so  splendid,  as  this  work  of  the  foreign  Association  budget.  But  there 
is  still  room  for  improvement. 

Miss  Lillian  Janes,  Buffalo:  This  recommendation  makes  me  suspect  that 
the  National  Board  must  have  had  much  the  same  experience  as  the  local  As- 
sociations have  had,  in  connection  with  their  subscriptions  to  current  expenses. 
We  have  received  pledges  to  our  current  expenses,  when  the  one  making  the 
pledge  thought  if  it  was  convenient  for  him  to  pay  that  money  any  time  dur- 
ing the  year,  he  would  do  so.  Whereas,  we  had  definitely  counted  upon  that 
pledge,  and  had  planned  our  work  accordingly;  and  you  know  what  happens 
when  the  year  closes  and  that  pledge  has  not  come  in.  It  may  be  possible  that 
the  foreign  department  of  the  National  Board  has  received  pledges  from  local 
Associations,  and  has  had  the  same  experience  that  the  local  Associations  have 
had  with  individual  pledges,  and  finds  itself  in  the  same  predicament  that  we 
are  in,  when  the  pledges  are  not  paid.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  National  Board 
ought  to  be  in  a  position  to  expect  that  we  will  enter  this  amount  upon  our 
budget  as  an  obligation  which  we  will  meet  each  month,  or  at  least  each  year, 
even  though   subscriptions  given  for  that  particular  object  do   not  materialize. 

And  then  there  is  the  second  part  of  this  recommendation:  "and  endeavor 
to  increase  its  contribution  to  this  important  work  progressively."  This  has 
been    tried    out    in    our    Associations    so    successfully   that    I    can    heartily    recom- 


Business  of  the  Convention  75 

mend  it.  We  started  out  with  a  hundred  dollars  subscription,  and  that  seemed 
great.  Then  we  raised  it  to  two  hundred,  then  eight  hundred,  and  then  a 
thousand,  and  a  thousand  seemed  really  as  easy,  with  the  increased  interest 
aroused,  as  did  the  first  hundred.  And  so,  surely,  if  Associations  which  are  to 
become  interested  in  the  foreign  work  will  have  the  thought  that  each  year  they 
will  add  to  the  pledge  of  the  year  before,  they  will  be  surprised  to  see  how  the 
contributions  will   keep   up   with  that  plan.      (Applause.) 

Recommendation  V  was  declared  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  VI,  upon  which  there  was  no 
discussion.     It  was  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  VII. 

Mrs.  C.  W.  Gardner,  Minneapolis:  The  joint  campaign  has  become  part 
of  my  Association  creed.  These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  we  want  to  have 
a  joint  campaign:  I  believe  in  the  joint  campaign  because  a  band  of  earnest,  deter- 
mined, prayerful  women  can  accomplish  whatever  they  start  out  to  do,  so  long  as 
it  is  for  the  furtherance  of  God's  kingdom;  because  the  finances  for  the  year's 
work  should  be  raised  early  in  the  Association  year,  leaving  the  remaining 
months  free  for  the  work  that  we  wish  to  accomplish;  because  a  person  should 
be  asked  but  once  each  year  to  give  to  Association  work,  whether  national, 
territorial,  or  local;  and  a  time  should  be  set  aside,  consecrated  to  the  work 
of  raising  money.  I  believe  in  the  joint  campaign  because  it  cements  friendships. 
In  no  way  could  the  workers  in  the  various  branches  of  the  Association  in 
Minneapolis  have  been  drawn  so  closely  together,  as  they  were  in  the  joint 
campaign.  I  believe  in  co-operation,  because  in  union  there  is  strength — one  pur- 
pose, one  thought,  one  prayer,  will  accomplish  what  we  desire.  Because  of 
the  joint  campaign,  Minneapolis  was  able  to  give  six  per  cent  of  its  entire  budget 
to  the  national  work.      (Applause.) 

The  Chairman:  I  would  like  to  ask  Miss  Gage,  as  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Basis  for  Support,  to  say  some  closing  words  in  regard  to  this 
proposition. 

Miss  Frances  C.  Gage,  Seattle:  There  is  nothing  so  dear  to  my  heart  as  the 
subject  of  finances.  I  believe  it  is  because  I  didn't  have  any  finances  when  I 
was  born  {laughter).  I  entered  college  without  finances;  I  ended  college  with 
a  debt;  I  was  burdened  with  it.  At  first  I  was  economical — I  said  I  wasn't 
able  to  do  this  and  I  wasn't  able  to  do  that,  and  I  soon  saw  that  I  was  going 
to  be   out  of  life,   unless  I  changed   my  attitude. 

In  the  Northwest,  when  I  went  out  there  almost  seven  years  ago  to  be 
student  secretary,  I  found  the  finances  in  this  condition:  They  were  carrying 
a  small  budget  in  two  states,  and  they  were  accustomed  to  go  to  the  Conven- 
tion and  present  the  needs  of  the  field  to  a  company  of  interested  and  enthu- 
siastic young  women,  who  gave  out  of  their  small  pocket  books,  and  the  girls 
who   were    the   most   generous   gave   the   most,    and   the   schools   which   were   the 


76  Third  Biennial  Convention 

most  generous  gave  the  most,  and  those  who  gave  the  least  were  oftentimes  the 
ones  who  ought  to  have  taken  the  largest  responsibility. 

In  the  Northwest  about  eighty-five  per  cent  of  the  people  who  are  in 
the  Associations  and  in  the  colleges,  are  self-supporting.  Now,  that  is  a  large 
per  cent,  and  yet  I  found  that  these  little  colleges  were  carrying  very  much 
larger  responsibilities  than  some  of  the  larger  ones.  I  found  that  the  city  Asso- 
ciations were  giving,  some  of  them  twenty-five  dollars,  some  of  them  fifty  dol- 
lars, and  a  few  ladies  were  giving  ten  dollars  to  the  support  of  the  work;  but 
most  of  the  money  was  coming  in  very  small  subscriptions,  and  it  was  al- 
ways poor. 

I  began  to  think  about  the  necessity  for  systematic  finances,  and  we  got  to 
work  at  it.  The  result  is  that  this  year,  after  six  years  of  work,  every  city 
Association  that  had  had  a  year  of  life,  gave  ten  per  cent  of  its  membership, 
and  did  it  gladly  and  thankfully,  to  the  supervisory  work  of  the   Northwest. 

Now,  this  is  just  the  machinery  of  the  thing,  and  I  sincerely  believe  in  a 
machine.  Some  one  has  said  here  that  people  have  criticised  the  idea  of  hav- 
ing a  budget  set  up  which  they  haven't  anything  to  say  about.  That  is  not  true. 
One  of  the  recommendations  of  the  National  Board  is  as  to  the  amount  of  the 
budget — the  amount  that  shall  be  spent.  We  come  here  to  this  convention  and 
decide  what  the  National  Board  shall  spend,  and  I  believe  that  the  safeguard- 
ing of  the  National  Board's  expenses  depends  upon  what  we  do  toward  the 
support  of  the  national  work.  We  don't  want  to  be  burdened  by  the  thought 
of  the  way  this  thing  is  to  go,  and  whether  it  is  a  self-respecting,  well-clothed 
institution  or  not.  We  want  to  feel  that  so  far  as  the  machine  is  concerned 
it  is  well  equipped  and  well  organized,  and  that  it  will  carry  us  in  such  a 
way  that  we  will  have  confidence.  It  is  for  us  to  see  that  it  is  put  in  a  self- 
respecting  relation  to  other  national  organizations  in  the  United  States;  to  see 
that  the  means  is  provided  with  which  to  equip  the  offices  and  the  people  who 
are  to  be  our  specialists,  in  a  way  that  we  shall  like. 

May  I  say  just  one  word  about  the  great  harm  of  provincialism?  I  think 
a  city  that  thinks  first  and  last  of  itself  is,  of  all  places,  the  most  uncomfortable 
to  be  in ;  but  the  city  that  has  an  outlook  for  the  field,  for  the  whole  state,  and 
is  thinking  about  its  influence  in  other  places,  is  the  city  that  you  love  to  be  in. 
(Applause.) 

The  Chairman:  Before  putting  this  question  to  vote  I  will  ask  Miss  Taylor 
to  say  just  a  word. 

Miss  Harriet  Taylor,  New  York  City:  Those  of  us  who  have  been  giving 
a  great  deal  of  thought  to  these  Recommendations,  want  to  urge  very  earnestly 
that  you  do  not  accept  them  as  a  whole  unless  you  honestly  believe  that  the 
time  has  come  to  put  them  into  operation.  We  have  not  a  shadow  of  a  doubt 
that  there  is  no  person  in  this  room  who  doesn't  want  to  do  all  she  possibly 
can  for  the  advancement  of  this  organization.  There  is  no  question  about  it; 
and  I  honestly  believe  that  if  we  do  accept  these  Recommendations  and  use 
them  as  our  standard,  to  be  put  into  operation  just  as  soon  as  possible,  we  will 
be  laying  the  foundation  for  a   structure  which,  twenty-five  years  hence,  we  will 


Business  of  the  Convention  77 

realize  the  importance  of.  However,  if  you  think  it  wiser  to  try  to  go  along 
without  adopting  these  Recommendations,  I  am  sure  that  the  Committee  on 
Basis  for  Support,  and  the  National  Board,  will  be  satisfied.  So  please  be 
honest  in  your  vote.  If  you  carry  it,  it  means  that  this  is  the  national  standard 
for  our  future  conduct.  We  want  to  put  a  foundation  under  this  structure  that 
will   stand  permanently. 

The  discussion  rested  and  Recommendation  VII  was  adopted. 

The  Recommendations  as  a  whole  were  then  passed  by  a  rising  vote. 

The  subject  of  "  The  Association  Monthly  "  was  presented  by  the  edi- 
tor, Miss  Mary  Louise  Allen,  of  New  York  City,  who  urged  upon  all 
board  and  committee  members,  volunteer  workers  and  secretaries  the  neces- 
sity of  becoming  subscribers.  The  subject  of  the  "  World's  Quarterly  " 
was  also  presented. 

After  singing  Hymn  No.  102,  "  The  Heavens  Declare  Thy  Glory 
Lord,"  the  Rev.  Prof.  John  Henry  Strong  led  in  the  Devotional  Hour. 

Professor  Strong:  The  thought  which  I  would  bring  to  you  in  this  second 
hour  of  meditation  and  devotion  is.  The  Problem  of  Praise. 

The  title  needs  explanation.  The  Problem  of  Praise?  Is  God  a  problem? 
Are  God's  mercies  a  problem?  Is  that  acknowledgment,  then,  of  God's  mercies 
which  we  call  praise,  a  problem  at  all? 

When  we  praise  we  seem  to  come  out  of  the  realm  of  problems  into  the 
realm  of  realities.  Praise  is  our  natural  response  to  God,  as  we  discern  him 
in  his  works  and  in  his  gifts.  How  spontaneous  it  is!  As  one  of  my  friends 
is  accustomed  to  say,  "  Praise  is  the  incense  which  makes  all  our  worship  ac- 
ceptable to  God." 

Yet  there  are  areas  of  our  lives  which  do  raise  a  problem  as  respects  thanks- 
giving. A  number  of  years  ago  I  was  much  impressed  by  those  words  of  the 
Apostle  Paul — "  In  all  things  give  thanks,  for  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus  concerning  you."  And  I  told  a  friend  of  mine  I  was  going  to  preach  a 
sermon  on  that  text,  and  she  said,  "  What  a  terribly  big  word  that  word  '  all ' 
is!"  I  knew  what  she  meant.  She  had  just  been  going  through  an  experience 
far  more  crushing  than  bereavement.  I  went  down  to  my  church  in  Connecti- 
cut and  preached  the  sermon,  and  at  the  close  there  came  up  an  old  white- 
haired  man,  shaking  his  head,  and  saying,  "  I  can't  grasp  that,  I  can't  rise  to 
that,"  and  I  knew  what  he  meant:  he  had  had  the  heart-breaking  experience 
of  seeing  two  of  his  sons,  grown  men,  going  to  moral   ruin. 

Now,  these  are  extreme  cases.  Yet  we  may  take  them  as  typical  of  whole 
areas  of  our  lives  where  thanksgiving  and  praise  do  present  a  problem.  How 
much  of  my  life  may  I  believe  that  God  is  actually  personally  connected  with? 
Let  us  be  concrete.  Take  our  failures.  Which  of  us  has  not  had  the  experience 
of   gnashing   his   teeth   like   an   old-fashioned   grist   mill    because   of   work   poorly 


78  Third  Biennial  Convention 

done?  Infinite  tasks,  infinitesimal  tinne — and  results  corresponding!  How  often 
we  have  more  than  a  lurking  suspicion  that  we  ourselves  are  failures.  How 
much  more  others  do  than  we,  with  the  pen,  with  their  words,  with  silent  in- 
fluence. What  concentrated  potency  we  see  in  some  lives;  what  organization 
of  powers;  what  strategic  application  of  their  force  where  everything  counts; 
while  we — we're  battling  with  difficulties  they  know  nothing  about:  moods, 
dispositions,  frightful  handicaps  of  fears.  If  these  were  outside  us  we  should 
not  care  how  mountain-high  they  heaped  themselves;  but  to  be  inside  us,  to 
be  ourselves  divided,  to  have  half  our  forces  in  league  with  the  enemy  and 
ready  to  capitulate — that  is   sore   fighting  indeed! 

Then  what  about  our  spiritual  blindness?  Our  circle  of  truth  has  great 
arcs  gone;  and  yet  we  are  set  up,  perhaps,  to  instruct  the  world.  Or  take  it  in 
practical  matters;  how  we  stand  vacillating  before  alternatives  on  which  great 
consequences  depend  I  We  seem  to  be  feeling  our  way,  rather  than  seeing  it. 
Is  blindness  a  matter  for  thanksgiving  and  for  praise? 

And — worse  than  this — what  about  our  personal  defects,  the  sins  and  lapses 
that,  to  our  own  clear  eye,  mark  us  out  as  spiritually  raw  and  unmade?  Oh,  don't 
we  get  depressed,  though!  And  yet  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  somehow  or 
other  God  is  in  it  all.  What  are  those  words  of  Jesus — "  The  very  hairs  of 
your  head  are  numbered."  A  minister  whom  I  know,  in  speaking  to  his  con- 
gregation said,  "  Some  of  you  do  not  believe  that  your  heads  are  numbered ; 
He  knoweth  our  thought  afar  off."  One  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  day  is 
the  doctrine  of  the  immanence  of  God.  God  is  in  the  star.  God  is  in  the  tree. 
God  is  in  the  little  flower  at  the  foot  of  the  tree.  God  in  all  these  things,  and 
not  in  my  experiences?  I  can  hardly  believe  it.  If  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
Providence  at  all,  it  would  seem  as  though  Providence  in  some  way  ought  to 
include  all  our  life.  Is  Providence  just  an  occasional  incursion  of  God's  good- 
ness and  benevolence  and  kindness  into  our  lives?  Then  what  happens  to  us 
in  the  intervals?  How  can  you  assure  the  permanence  of  these  occasional  bless- 
ings, if  in  the  intervals  God  is  removed  and  we  are  left  alone? 

A  man  was  traveling  from  one  city  to  another.  Two  trains  stood  in  the 
station,  both  bound  for  his  destination.  He  took  one  of  them.  The  other  was 
dashed  to  pieces,  with  loss  of  human  life.  He  came  to  a  friend  of  mine  and 
said,  "What  a  deliverance!  What  a  providence!"  My  friend  replied,  "What 
about  the  people  on  the  other  train?" 

What  about  them?  There  were  presumably  Christian  people  among  them. 
Was  there  no  providence,   no  benevolence,  no  goodness  for  them? 

In  our  early  Christian  lives,  I  suppose,  we  always  interpret  God's  provi- 
dence in  terms  of  the  favorable.  He  saved  me  from  this  calamity,  he  deliv- 
ered me  from  that.  But  God  does  not  intend  us  to  stop  there.  Unless  I  can 
finally  arrive  at  a  faith  in  God's  care  which  makes  it  conterminous  with  my 
whole  life,  I  am  forever  wretched.  What  I  can  give,  God  can  take.  And  what 
God  can  take  God  can  keep.  If  I  disbelieve  them,  I  lose  God.  If  I  could  believe 
that,  when  I  have  committed  myself  to  God,   it  is  in  him  to  let  my  life  slip  at 


Business  of  the  Convention  79 

the  minutest  point,  then  I  could  believe  that  it  is  in  him  to  let  my  life  slip  at 
the  supreme  point,  and  I  have  no  Savior! 

Well,  what  about  those  experiences  which  are  doubtful  as  respects  praise? 
Are  they  unmixed  evil  ?  Take  the  failures.  I  suppose  we  preachers  have  as 
much  to  disturb  ourselves  with  in  that  matter  as  anybody.  How  often  one  would 
like  to  crawl  through  an  infinitesimal  knothole,  if  one  could  find  it,  and  be 
gently  let  down  into  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth,  never  again  to  see  the  face 
of  man !  And  yet  it  is  astonishing  how,  even  after  an  experience  like  that,  peo- 
ple come  to  one  and  say  that  their  spirits  have  been  blessed.  A  friend  of  mine 
up  at  Northfield,  two  years  ago,  told  me  of  a  man  who  right  in  the  midst  of 
his  sermon  entirely  forgot  the  thread  of  his  discourse,  and  there  he  was !  The 
only  thing  he  could  do  was  to  begin  to  repeat  scripture,  and  so  he  began  to 
repeat  verse  after  verse  until  finally  that  thread  again  appeared,  and  he  grasped 
it  as  a  drowning  man  would  grasp  a  straw  and  pulled  himself  through.  He 
went  home  feeling  terribly  mortified.  Long  afterwards  there  came  to  him  a  man 
who  said  to  him,  "  I  owe  you  a  great  debt  of  gratitude."  "  In  what  way,"  asked 
the  minister.  "  Well,"  said  the  man,  "  because  of  a  sermon  I  heard  you  preach." 
Upon  inquiry  it  turned  out  that  it  was  this  very  sermon ;  and  the  minister  said 
to  the  man,  "  I  am  very  much  interested  in  what  you  say,  and  I  would  be  pleased 
to  know  what  it  was  in  that  sermon  that  impressed."  "  Well,"  said  the  man, 
"  right  in  the  middle  of  that  sermon  you  stopped,  and  in  the  most  impressive 
way  you  began  to  repeat  scripture.     One  of  the  verses  gripped  me  and  saved  me." 

Then,  take  our  defects,  take  our  apathy,  take  our  deadness.  I  will  say  to 
you  young  women  what  I  would  say  to  a  great  many  audiences — that  there 
are  a  great  many  things  that  we  class  with  our  defects,  which  with  a  proper 
diagnosis,  ought  to  be  otherwise  labeled.  How  frequently  apathy  and  deadness 
are  simply  a  reflex  of  weariness.  Air  and  rest  and  exercise  are  means  of  grace. 
It  sometimes  takes  much  more  faith  to  rest  than  it  does  to  work.  And  yet,  when 
we  have  made  all  benevolent  deductions,  there  remains,  alas,  sin  and  fault 
enough,  and  that  I  do  not  propose  to  put  any  light  and  easy  interpretation  upon. 
But  is  there  really  nothing  to  praise  God  for,  in  such  a  case  as  this?  It  is  bet- 
ter to  know  our  weaknesses,  is  it  not,  than  not  to  know  them?  Which  is  better, 
as  the  foundation  of  life,  truth,  or  falsehood?  Are  we  likely  to  pilot  others 
safely  through  life  so  long  as  we  ourselves  are  like  seas  full  of  rocks  and  shoals, 
uncharted  and  unknown? 

And  then  it  is  still  more,  is  it  not,  to  mourn  over  and  hate  our  sins,  rather 
than  to  be  satisfied  with  them.  When  I  can  take  a  defect  of  mine  and  put  my 
foot  upon  it  and  say,  "  Oh,  Christ,  I  hate  that  as  thou  dost  hate  it,"  that  sin  no 
longer  rules  my  spirit.  It  may  remain  owing  to  natural  momentum  and  the 
association  of  ideas,  but  in  God's  programme  for  my  life,  the  day  of  its  extirpa- 
tion is  settled;  and  when  it  has  fulfilled  its  design  in  humbling  and  chastening 
me,  God  will  take  it  away. 

And  which  is  the  really  fine,  chivalrous  thing — to  be  utterly  unwilling  to 
bear  any  share  of  the  great  load  which  we  ourselves  have  had  part  in  creating, 
or  to  be  willing  to  do  it?     It  seems  to  be  that  we  ought  to  be  ashamed  not  to  be 


80  Third  Biennial  Convention 

willing  to  bear  some  of  the  consequences  of  our  own  misdeeds.  If  they  had 
absolutely  no  good  effects  in  chastening  and  humbling  us,  we  ought  to  be  will- 
ing to  bear  them,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they  do  have  good  effects. 

Do  you  realize  that  just  so  long  as  you  have  strength  you  are  going  to  make 
that  strength  a  substitute  for  the  strength  of  Christ?  Do  you  realize  that  just 
as  long  as  you  see,  you  are  not  going  to  believe?  Would  life  be  richer,  if  it 
were  suddenly  stripped  of  all  occasion  for  trusting  and  depending?  And  is  not 
that  what  Christ's  words  meant  to  Paul  as  he  struggled  to  get  rid  of  the  thorn 
which  had  been  sent  to  chasten  and  bless  him:  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee, 
for  my  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness?"  "My  strength  suffices!"  Do 
not  think  that  Paul's  interest  was  merely  to  get  rid  of  the  pain,  the  distress. 
He  was  afraid  that  the  cause  of  Christ  was  tottering,  that  his  hands  were  bound 
by  this  infirmity,  that  he  could  not  do  the  work  which  God  had  appointed  him 
to  do;  and  to  this  fear  the  answer  was,  "My  strength,  my  grace  suffices;  for  my 
strength  comes  to  perfect  manifestation  in  weakness."  It  is  only  when  we  are 
weak  that  Christ  has  his  opportunity,  because  only  then  all  that  illusive  strength 
which  we  press  into  the  field  with  the  terrific  impulse  of  self  preservation  is 
removed,    and   Christ   is   left   free   to   manifest   himself. 

The  Problem  of  Praise!  That  problem  is  solved  when  we  come  to  see  God 
in  everything;  when  we  realize  that  nothing  can  touch  us  unless  it  first  have 
the  impress  of  the  signet  of  his  will ;  when  we  see  that  God  is  thus  coming  to 
meet  us  in  all  the  minute  experiences  of  life,  that  at  every  moment  we  are  in 
his  presence,  and  that  in  every  experience  he  is  reaching  out  his  hand  to  make 
us  whole. 

May  God  help  us  to  relax,  to  believe  and  acquiesce;  to  cease  from  strug- 
gle, that  we  may  know  him,  and  that  others  may  know  him  through  the  lives 
which  we,  this  day,  cheerfully  and  with  thanksgiving  submit  afresh  into  his 
hands. 

Friday  Afternoon 

The  President,  Mrs.  Olney,  took  the  Chair  for  the  afternoon  meeting 
on  Friday  and  the  religious  exercises  were  led,  after  the  singing  of  Hymn 
No.  274,  "  In  Loving  Adoration  We  Come  to  Worship  Thee,"  by  the  Rev. 
O.  D.  Odell,  Pastor  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Indianapolis. 

The  Secretary  read  to  the  Convention  messages  containing  greetings, 
from  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  the 
Paris,  France,  Association;  the  College  Department  of  the  Women's  For- 
eign Missionary  Association  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Evanston, 
111. ;  and  from  the  Marion  County  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
in  annual  institute  assembled ;  also  greetings  from  the  National  Association 
and  an  invitation  to  hold  the  next  Biennial  Convention  in  Nashville,  Tenn. ; 
also  letters  from  the  Los  Angeles  Association  and  from  the  Chamber  of 


Business  of  the  Convention  81 

Commerce  of  Los  Angeles,  asking  that  the  next  Convention  be  held  in 
that  city. 

The  Chairman  then  called  for  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  Research 
and  Investigation  on  Work  Among  Immigrant  Girls.  Mrs.  Lemuel  Call 
Barnes,  of  the  National  Board,  presented  the  report  as  follows: 

The  Committee  of  Research  and  Investigation,  appointed  by  our  President, 
Miss  Dodge,  on  April  i6,  1910,  accepted  as  its  first  task  "a  study  of  immigrant 
young  women,  their  conditions  and  needs,  with  practicable  ways  in  which  our 
Associations  may  meet  those  needs." 

Our  Field  for  Study  and  Experiment. 

For  a  study  of  the  broader  aspects  of  the  subject,  we  found  a  mass  of  statis- 
tical material  ready  for  our  use  in  Ellis  Island  records;  in  the  report  of  the 
Commission  of  Immigration  of  the  State  of  New  York,  transmitted  to  the  Legis- 
lature in  April,  1909;  in  the  issues  of  the  report  of  the  federal  investigation 
which  have  been  sent  to  us  as  they  have  come  from  the  press,  and  in  well- 
authenticated  reports   of  a   multitude   of  other  organizations,   public  and   private. 

In  the  matter  of  personal  investigation,  in  order  to  secure  the  largest  re- 
turns from  the  use  of  our  resources  of  time  and  money,  we  limited  our  field 
for  intensive  study  for  the  first  six  months  to  New  York,  not  all  of  New  York, 
even — only  Manhattan. 

Later,  a  new  task  was  assigned  involving  a  study  of  immigrant  women  in 
Yonkers,  a  city  of  80,000  inhabitants  just  over  the  line  from  New  York.  In 
order  to  secure  unity  for  the  material  bearing  on  immigration,  we  will  group 
together  the  findings  from  these  two  pieces  of  work. 

Some  Urgent  Phases  of  Immigrant  Life. 

The  report  of  the  work  done  previous  to  October  5,  1910,  was  submitted 
to  the  National  Board  on  that  date,  and  its  eleven  recommendations  were  unani- 
mously adopted.  The  printed  report,  "  Some  Urgent  Phases  of  Immigrant  Life," 
is  presented  for  distribution  here,  and  we  need  not  weary  you  by  repeating  it. 

Later  Developments. 

In  October,  Miss  Edith  B.  Terry  was  engaged  as  special  worker  for  the 
immigration  work  which  the  National  Board  had  voted  to  undertake,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  recommendations  of  the  report,  her  work  to  begin  December 
I,  1910. 

In  a  meeting  held  November  14,  the  Committee  voted  unanimously  request- 
ing that  the  work  for  immigrant  women  in  New  York,  as  authorized  by  the  Na- 
tional Board,  having  "  reached  the  stage  when  it  can  no  longer  be  classed 
as  purely  a  work  of  investigation,"  be  adopted  by  the  Association  Extension 
Committee  of  the   Department   of   Method. 

This  request  was  granted.  Since  that  date  the  Department  of  Method  has 
had  entire  responsibility  for  immigrant  work  in  the   United   States. 


82  Third  Biennial  Convention 

The  essential  "  conditions  and  needs  of  immigrant  young  women  "  in  the 
smaller  city  do  not  differ  greatly  from  the  conditions  and  needs  in  the  metro- 
politan city,  except  that  in  Lower  New  York  the  congestion  of  population  in- 
creases and   intensifies  all   unfortunate  conditions   and   needs. 

As  always,  in  research  and  investigation  concerning  any  large  subject,  ul- 
timate truth  is  not  found  in  a  study  of  isolated  details  in  any  one  locality,  but 
the  isolated  details  have  their  chief  value  as  illustrations  of  broad,  general  facts. 

Governmental  Immigrant  Reports. 

As  to  the  extent  of  the  field  we  had  found,  even  among  intelligent  people, 
a  more  or  less  vague  theory  afloat  to  the  effect  that  immigrants  are  chiefly 
men  and  that  the  few  women  who  come  to  our  shores  oflFer  no  field  for  the 
activities  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  On  the  contrary,  gov- 
ernmental reports  show  that  more  than  one  third  of  our  immigrants  are  women, 
that  they  are  coming  to  us  at  the  rate  of  more  than  200,000  a  year,  and  that 
about  six  sevenths  of   them  are   between  fourteen   and  forty-four  years  of   age. 

From  a  report  of  the  Research  Bureau  of  the  Federation  of  Churches  and 
Religious  Organizations  of  New  York,  for  June,  1902,  we  find  that  "  throughout 
Manhattan  as  a  whole,  foreign-born  women  exceed  foreign-born  men  by  1,298," 
in  Brooklyn  the  excess  of  women  over  men  is  even  greater  than  in  Manhattan." 
That  this  excess  of  foreign-born  women  over  foreign-born  men  is  not  peculiar 
to  New  York,  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  from  the  annual  report  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Bureau  of  Industrial  Statistics  for  1909  we  find  that  women  between  the 
ages  of  fifteen  and  twenty-nine  exceed  in  number  the  men  of  the  same  ages  in 
that  state  by  1,902,  almost  2,000. 

Who  are  these  more  than  200,000  women  who  have  come  to  us  from  for- 
eign shores  since  last  April,  when  our  Committee  was  appointed?  The  people 
whose  women  are  coming  to  us  in  largest  numbers  to-day  are  Hebrew,  Italian, 
German,  Polish,  and  Scandinavian.  They  include  some  of  the  noblest  types  of 
young  womanhood  in  America.  I  know  something  of  college  life,  something  of 
church  life,  something  of  Association  life.  I  can  say  unqualifiedly  that  I  have 
found  no  brighter  intellects,  no  nobler  spirits,  no  higher  ideals  in  any  of  these 
circles  than  I  have  found  among  immigrant  young  women  who  are  unable  to 
express  their  ideals,  their  aims,  adequately  in  English.  They  need  our  help  in 
developing  their  noblest  possibilities  in  the  new  life  to  which  they  have  come. 
None  of  the  young  women  to  whom  we  are  now  ministering  need  us  more. 

Within  the  last  two  weeks  we  have  found  two  young  women,  one  Finnish, 
one  Russian,  holding  government  certificates  as  teachers  in  their  own  countries, 
who  have  come  to  America  to  learn  English;  one  is  employed  in  domestic 
service,  the  other  in  a  carpet  factory.  In  a  group  of  thirteen  young  women  un- 
able to  speak  English,  whom  we  met  last  week,  only  one  was  illiterate  in  her 
own  language.  Twelve  of  the  thirteen  could  speak  three  or  four  languages,  each. 
Who  was  ignorant?  they,  or  the  teacher  who  knew  only  English?  At  the  close 
of  the  lesson  when  they  were  asked  to  copy  the  script  on  the  back  of  the  leaflet 
which    they    had    learned    to    read,    one    wrote   out   the    words    in    lines   as    regu- 


Business  of  the  Convention  83 

lar  as  the  copy  and  far  more  ornamental.  It  was  the  most  beautiful  penmanship 
that  I  have  ever  seen.  In  the  limited  vocabulary  which  we  have  in  common  she 
could  not  explain  to  me  what  the  training  of  her  hand  has  involved,  but  the 
writing  seemed   the   expression   of   an   artistic   soul. 

It  has  become  the  fashion  to  deplore  the  character  of  the  immigration  of 
recent  years  in  comparison  with  that  of  generations  ago.  The  fashion  may 
change  with  closer  acquaintance  with  life.  Already  through  Miss  Balch's  "  Our 
Slavic  Fellow  Citizens,"  Mr.  Monroe's  "Bohemia  and  the  Cechs,"  the  works 
of  Dr.  Steiner  and  other  sympathetic  students,  foundations  are  being  laid  for 
truer  estimates  of  character. 

Incoming  Foreigners. 

Of  the  12,000  to  14,000  Bohemians  who  come  each  year  to  the  United  States, 
only  two  per  cent  are  illiterate.  Of  non-Jewish  Russian  women  we  have  record 
of  more  than  2,100  coming  to  our  shores  in  a  single  year.  Of  nominal  Hebrew 
women,  many  are  Jewish  only  in  name.  The  high  mentality  of  Russian  women 
is  proverbial.  It  has  been  estimated  that  at  least  one  fifth  of  the  Russian  young 
women  who  participated  in  the  shirtwaist  strike  of  last  year  in  New  York  had 
had  the  equivalent  in  Russia  of  our  high-school  education. 

It  should  be  said  for  our  Jewish  people  that  they  are  doing  more  to  help 
immigrant  girls  both  at  ports  of  embarkation  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea  and 
in  America  than  all  our  Protestant  Christian  women  have  done.  We  are 
awaking  late  and  slowly  to  the  great  opportunities  for  service  which  they  began 
to  meet,  actively,  years  ago.  Their  Educational  Alliance,  their  Hebrew  Young 
Women's  Association,  their  Clara  de  Hirsch  Home,  frankly  under  Hebrew  man- 
agement, teaching,  and  control,  but  open  to  those  who,  regardless  of  race,  na- 
tionality, or  creed,  wish  to  accept  their  regulations  and  teachings,  are  worthy  of 
our  emulation. 

The  work  of  the  Italian  Government  on  behalf  of  its  people  in  America 
is  too  well  known  to  need  mention  here. 

The  leagues  for  the  protection  of  immigrants  in  New  York,  Boston,  and  Chi- 
cago are  ministering  nobly  to  the  necessities  of  newly  arrived  aliens  in  America. 

Needs  of  the  Young  Immigrants. 

In  fulfilling  the  task  assigned  us  of  finding  "  practicable  ways  in  which  our 
Associations  can  meet  the  needs  of  immigrant  young  women,"  we  must  place 
as  first,  greatest,  most  fundamental,  teaching  them  English.  This  conviction, 
gained  by  personal  investigation,  is  confirmed  by  many  competent  authorities. 

To  quote  from  only  one :  The  report  of  the  Commission  of  Immigration  of 
the   State  of   New  York  transmitted  to  the  Legislature  in  April,   1909,   says: 

"  The  difficulty  of  the  newly  arrived  alien  is  augmented  by  the  fact  that 
over  eighty  per  cent  come  from  countries  in  which  some  other  language  than 
English  is  spoken.  Six-sevenths  of  all  the  aliens  arrive  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
or  over,  when  they  can  no  longer  be  required  to  attend  school,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  children  between  the   ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen,  who,  under  the  Child 


84  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Labor  Law  must  show  that  they  have  had  a  specific  amount  of  school  attendance 
and  English  education.  The  fact  that  the  alien  upon  arrival  is  obliged  to  im- 
mediately earn  his  living,  and  is  likely  to  associate  almost  always  with  those 
of  his  own  nationality  tends  to  delay  his  Americanization."  This,  which  is  true 
of  all  our  immigrant  people,  is  most  emphatically  true  of  our  immigrant  young 
women  with  their  many  needs,  many  perils,  many-sided  relationships  to  the 
new  unknown  life  on  which  they  are  entering. 

All  other  help  for  them  is  inadequate,  almost  impotent,  unless  accompanied 
by  the  means  of  self-help  which  a  knowledge  of  our  language  would  give. 

Of  the  eleven  recommendations  of  the  report  rendered  last  October  and 
adopted  by  our  National  Board,  several  would  not  be  found  practicable  for  our 
smaller  Associations.  The  teaching  of  English  need  not  involve  machinery  so 
elaborate  or  so  expensive   as  to  be  prohibitive  to  any. 

Method  of  Teaching  English. 

Very  early  in  our  work  of  investigation  we  met  the  necessity  of  presenting 
a  method  of  giving  quickly,  definitely,  a  working  knowledge  of  the  simple  terms 
of  common  life  and  daily  need.  After  diligent  search  for  the  lessons  best 
adapted  to  meeting  the  need,  we  began  trying  to  make  them,  testing  each  les- 
son in  the  making  with  a  young  Hungarian  girl  who  knew  no  English,  then 
having  the  lesson  so  made  tested  in  classes  taught  by  other  teachers.  It  was 
by  this  process  that  our  "  Early  and  Later  Stories  in  English  for  Neiv  Students 
of  English,"  based  on  selections  from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures, 
began  to  be  made. 

A  three-fold  aim  guided  their  preparation;  the  use  of  the  terms  which  are 
needed  in  common,  daily  life  for  daily  need,  the  use  of  concrete  terms,  which 
can  be  defined  by  objects  or  by  acts,  and  the  suggestion  of  that  third  dimension 
of  life  which,  in  relation  to  breadth  and  length,  may  be  called  height. 

Two  men,  host  and  guest,  stood  in  a  little  patch  of  ground  at  the  rear  of  a 
small  house  in  a  row  of  city  houses — high  brick  walls  on  either  side,  and  the 
pale  greens  of  a  shaded  garden  at  their  feet. 

"  This  is  my  garden  that  I  have  wanted  you  to  see,"  said  the  host.  The 
guest  found  it  difficult  to  praise.  The  host,  becoming  aware  of  his  embarrass- 
ment, looked  down  at  the  little  garden  with  a  new  estimate  of  its  paltriness — 
"  It  isn't  very  long,"  he  said,  and  it  isn't  very  wide."  Then  lifting  his  face  sky- 
ward, he  added,  "  but  it  is  wondrous  high."  We  want  the  lives  of  our  brave 
young  immigrant  girls   to  be  not  onl}'  broad   and   long,   but  high. 

One  of  them  said  not  long  ago,  "Lessons  good.  Not  just  words,  but  more." 
No  other  commendation  of  the  work  has  touched  us  so  deeph'. 

Religious  Bodies. 

There  has  been  a  theory  that  our  immigrant  people  are  all  Romanists  or 
Jews.  It  is  a  point  not  to  be  settled  by  Government  statistics,  because  the  first 
amendment  to  our  Constitution  has  been  interpreted  to  forbid  inquiry  by  our 
census   takers   as   to   religion.     The    statistics   of   religious   bodies   given    in    Gov- 


Business  of  the  Convention  85 

ernmental  census  reports  are  based  not  on  personal  investigation  among  the 
people,  but  on  diocesan,  presbyterial,  classical,  and  associational  reports.  Hebrew 
and  Christian  memberships  are  given,  but  not  Hebrew  and  Christian  populations. 

The  Federation  of  Churches  and  Religious  Organizations  in  New  York 
through  its  research  bureau  has  made  personal  investigations  since  1896  as  to 
the  affiliations  of  the  people,  making  the  test  of  affiliation,  the  marriage  and 
burial  services  used,  when  there  is  no  closer  relation  with  religious  observances; 
on  the  theory  that  at  these  critical  times  in  life  there  is  an  instinctive  turning 
to  that  form  of  religious  expression  which  the  life  finds  most  adequate. 

By  this  census  there  was  found  in  New  York  City  a  population  of  from 
407,000  to  568,000  foreign  born  persons  of  Protestant  affiliation  but  not  yet  at- 
tached to  any  church. 

A  recent  writer  says  concerning  the  Bohemians,  "  One  is  at  a  loss  for  an 
explanation  of  Bohemian  character  which  makes  them  apparently  religious  in  the 
fatherland  and  distinctly  non-religious  in  the  United  States."  Is  it  because  we 
have  met  them  on  the  assumption  that  our  ideal  of  religion  is  not  theirs?  Bo- 
hemia  was   Protestant   one  hundred  years   before   Luther's   day. 

People  of  lands  as  far  distant  from  ours  in  character  as  in  space  are  as- 
cribing to  the  open  Bible  among  the  people,  the  difference  between  their  civiliza- 
tion and  ours.  The  nations  whose  children  are  coming  to  us  in  largest  numbers 
are  the  nations  of  unrest.  Hungary,  Bohemia,  Poland,  Portugal,  Italy — dare  we 
assume  before  they  tell  us,  that  they  are  not  ready  to  welcome  the  teachings  which 
have  made  America  to  differ  from  the  lands  from  which  they  have  fled? 

Last  week  I  saw  a  letter  from  a  New  York  secretary  who  had  been  teach- 
ing our  "  Early "  and  "  Later  Stories  in  English  to  New  Students  of  English," 
in  which  she  said,  "  A  Catholic  priest  asked  to  see  the  entire  series  of  lessons. 
He  took  them  home  for  examination  and  returned  to  commend  them,  objecting 
to  only  one,  and  that  the  forty-first — The  Lord's  Prayer,  the  wording  of  which 
is  not  quite  like  that  of  the  Catholic  version."  Have  we  realized  that  others  are 
as  broad  in  appreciation  of  help  as  we? 

We  report  as  practicable  ways  in  which  our  Associations  may  meet  the  needs 
of  immigrant  young  women. 

1.  Teach  them  English. 

2.  Sympathize  with  their  experiences,  their  aims,  their  aspirations. 

3.  Co-operate  with  all  other  organizations  that  are  undertaking  helpful  work 
in  any  line,  for  them. 

4.  Study  not  only  the  individual,  but  the  nationality  represented  by  the 
individual,  and  be  ready  to  recognize  breadth  in  others  as  well  as  in  self. 

5.  Remember  that  lessons  in  English  for  the  foreign  speaking  are  only  sec- 
ond in  importance  to   lessons  from  foreigners  for  the  English   speaking. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Miss  Edith  B.  Terry,  Secretary  of  the 
National  Board  for  Immigrant  Work. 


86  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Miss  Terry:  It  is  a  great  privilege  to  follow  Mrs.  Barnes,  and  it  is  a  great 
privilege  to  tell  you  that  the  recommendations  made  by  this  Committee  to  the 
National  Board  have  already  taken  concrete  form.  Suggestions  from  the  work 
of   last  summer  have   already   been   put  into  active   operation. 

And  yet  I  must  beg  you  to  remember  that  we  are  talking  in  terms  of  whales, 
whereas  we  now  have  but  little  fishes.  The  new  work  is  barely  four  months  old. 
When  people  say,  "  Now  tell  us  exactly  what  you  have  in  New  York,"  one  is 
tempted  to  answer  like  the  small  boy  who,  while  zealously  fishing,  was  asked, 
"Jimmy,  how  many  fish  have  you  got?"  "Oh,  if  I  could  get  this  one  and  two 
more  I  will   have  three." 

With  the  work  in  actual  operation,  combined  with  that  on  the  verge  of  opera- 
tion, we  can  truthfully  say  we  have  more  than  a  good  "  three." 

We  have  launched  the  work  in  New  York  City  under  the  name  of  the  In- 
ternational Institute  for  Young  Women  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. Our  problem  was  to  present  the  message  and  the  service  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  in  terms  intelligible  to  the  immigrant  girl,  fresh 
from  the  Old  World,  with  all  its  narrowness  of  social  standards,  with  all  its 
prejudices  against  non-Catholic  interference,  with  all  its  fears  and  suspicion 
of  strangers. 

We  chose  the  name  as  showing  our  respect  for  her.  The  term  "immigrant" 
is  not  a  name  she  is  proud  of.  "  Institute  "  to  the  foreign  intelligence  means  a 
place  of  dignity,  a  place  offering  education,  a  means  to  self-help,  a  place  to  be 
trusted. 

We   aim  to   render   four  distinct  services. 

First.  Protection.  After  receiving  direct  from  Ellis  Island  the  names  and 
addresses  of  girls  released  to  New  York  City,  we  send  out  our  visitors  to  look 
up  the  girls,  to  see  that  they  are  properly  placed,  to  see  that  each  girl  has  found 
the  right  kind  of  friends,  to  offer  her  any  assistance  she  may  need,  to  acquaint 
her  with  the  nearest  opportunity  for  learning  English.  Our  visitors  must  com- 
mand among  them  all  the  tongues  of  Europe.  This  work  of  protection  by  im- 
mediate visiting,  you  will  be  interested  to  know,  has  for  some  time  been  in  suc- 
cessful operation  in  Chicago  under  the  Protective  League  for  Immigrants. 

Second.  We  aim  to  place  English  classes  within  the  different  foreign  colo- 
nies up  and  down  the  East  side  of  New  York.  We  place  a  class  wherever  we 
can  find  housing  room.  It  is  our  ambition  that  every  girl  in  New  York  City 
who  wants  to  learn  English  can  find  some  congenial  class  near  her  home. 

Third.  At  headquarters  we  plan  to  establish  classes  and  clubs  designed 
to  meet  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  foreign  girl  for  economic  and  social  better- 
ment, even  as  the  Association  clubs  and  classes  are  designed  for  her  American 
sister.  And  we  plan  to  develop  special  work  that  shall  interpret  for  her  directly, 
American  standards  and  customs. 

Fourth.  But  most  important.  Through  native  workers  imbued  with  the 
Christ   spirit,   we   aim   to  be   for   the   girls  the   open   door  to   the  American   ideal 


Miss  Edith  B.  Terry  87 

for  Christian  young  women,  embodied  in  the  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociation. 

But  in  the  broadest  sense  let  us  look  squarely  at  the  question:  What  can 
be  our  work  for  the  immigrant  girl?  Because  we,  a  great  organization,  have 
seen  our  responsibility  for  her,  and  have  taken  up  this  responsibility,  we  must 
ask  ourselves  the  question,  Can  we,  in  any  way,  feel  that  we  are  solving  that 
overwhelming,  vague  thing  called  the  "immigrant  girl  problem?" 

We  must  not  let  our  eagerness  to  serve,  our  zeal  to  help,  blind  us  to  the 
actual   situation. 

The  immigrant  girl  is  not  a  thing  apart.  She  is  not  an  odd  creature  from 
a  wild  land.  She  is  a  girl — and  very  much  of  a  girl,  and  her  needs  are  essen- 
tially the  needs  of  every  girl.  It  is  only  the  chance  that  transplanted  her  to  a 
strange  country  that  makes  her  at  all  extraordinary.  This  distinction  vanishes 
as  soon  as  she  has  found  her  place,  in  the  vital  sense  of  that  term,  in  the  new 
world. 

Then  she  becomes  one  with  her  American  sister  in  the  great  social  system. 
Her  life,  like  that  of  her  American  sister,  is  the  result  of  the  forces  for  good 
and  evil  at  work  in  that  great  system. 

The  immigrant  girl,  like  every  other  girl,  needs  first  a  living  wage  and 
healthful  surroundings  under  which  to  work.  She  needs  the  wholesome  recrea- 
tion that  meets  the  craving  for  social  expression. 

Let  us  face  our  responsibility — its  breadth,  its  limitations.  Let  us  make  the 
distinction  between  the  girl  when  first  she  comes  to  us,  and  the  girl  after  she 
has  lived  and  worked  in  America  for  a  few  years.  For  the  sake  of  clearness, 
we  may  call  the  newly  arrived  girl  the  immigrant,  and  refer  to  the  foreign 
girl  who  has  spent  some  months  or  years  in  America,   as  the   "  post-immigrant." 

When  English  becomes  to  her  a  natural  tongue,  when  she  has  acquired  the 
American  view  of  life  and  her  surroundings  (whether  she  acquire  the  good  or 
the  evil  rests  with  us)  then  she  ceases  to  be  an  immigrant  girl  and  becomes 
the  post-immigrant  girl,  the  city  girl,  or  the  country  girl.  Then  she  takes 
her  place  in  the  crowded  ranks  of  the  girls  of  the  shop,  of  the  factory,  of  the 
mill  village.  Then  she  is  ready  to  be  told  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association.  We  must  get  the  news  to  her — break  in  upon  her  narrowing  circle 
of  privileges  and  pleasures;  and  see  to  it  that  she  knows  of  the  good  things  the 
Association  can  give  her. 

A  study  has  been  made  of  the  foreign  social  machinery  of  one  large  city, 
that  the  Association  may  be  adapted  to  it;  and  the  plan  may  now  be  put  in 
operation  in  city  Associations.  From  the  experimentation  in  this  first  Institute 
will  come  more  and  more  tested  methods  applicable  to  the  general  plan;  and 
together  we  can  transmit  the  result  of  our  findings  into  forms  of  service  to  the 
post-immigrant  girl   wherever   she   may  be  found   in  our  country. 

We  alone  cannot  give  her  a  living  wage;  we  alone  cannot  give  her  health- 
ful conditions  under  which  to  work;  we  alone  cannot  blot  out  the  greed  that 
throws  temptation   in  her  way,  for  its  own  gain ;   but  we  can  reach  out  a  hand 


88  Third  Biennial  Convention 

to  help  her  in  the  cruel  process  of  adjustment  to  the  new  surroundings  in  America, 
to  the  new  life. 

We  can  build  up  stations  of  help  and  friendliness  like  the  International 
Institute  for  Young  Women  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  in 
every  city,  in  every  town,  in  every  community  in  this  country  where  the  immi- 
grant penetrates.  We  can  make  such  Institutes  so  well  known,  so  well  under- 
stood throughout  the  foreign  communities  in  our  cities,  that  every  girl  who 
needs  assistance  of  any  kind  whatsoever  will  know  where  she  can  find  it. 

And  by  co-operation  with  all  other  organizations  for  work  with  immigrants 
(and  there  are  already  splendid  ones)  we  can  establish  a  system  of  protection 
and  assistance  that  will  reach  to  the  other  side  of  the  world,  that  will  guide  and 
protect  them  on  the  long  journey  from  the  homeland,  that  will  search  them  out 
where  they  have  settled,  that  will  open  the  doors  of  the  real  America,  the  Amer- 
ica of  better  things,  of  richer  life! 

Through  the  system  begun,  and  now  being  developed  in  the  first  Inter- 
national Institute  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  in  New  York 
City,  with  the  help  and  guidance  of  him  who  made  of  one  blood  all  nations 
of  the  earth,  we  hope,  we  believe,  we  shall  be  privileged  to  build  up  a  work 
of  world  value. 

The  Chairman  then  announced  an  address  by  Miss  Grace  Abbott,  of 
Hull  House,  Chicago,  Director  of  the  Immigrants'  Protective  League. 
(Applause.) 

Miss  Grace  Abbott:  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  we  are  a  nation  of  immigrants, 
we  have  been  inclined  to  resent  the  claim  which  the  immigrant  makes  upon  our 
attention,  and  to  view  rather  impatiently  the  problems  which  come  from  our 
complex  population. 

In  the  last  four  or  five  years  a  great  deal  of  study  has  been  given  to  the 
so-called  immigrant  problem,  but  the  conclusions  have  been  of  little  value  be- 
cause of  the  desire  to  interpret  these  facts  collected  in  favor  of,  or  against  the 
restriction  of  immigration. 

I  remember  not  long  ago  I  heard  a  sanitary  engineer  present  a  paper  on 
the  subject  of  "The  Relation  of  the  Immigrant  to  the  Health  of  the  City."  He 
had  made  a  very  careful  study  of  typhoid  fever  in  a  certain  city  in  the  United 
States,  and  he  found  that  most  of  these  epidemics  start  in  our  foreign  colonies, 
and  from  there  spread  to  the  other  parts  of  the  city.  He  concluded  that  this 
was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  foreigner  is  accustomed  to  a  pure  water  supply 
at  home,  and  consequently,  upon  coming  to  America,  he  falls  a  victim  much  more 
easily  to  our  impure  water  than  does  the  American,  who  is  accustomed,  since 
birth,  to  struggle  against  the  diseases  which  come  from  such  water.  {Laughter.) 
Now,  his  conclusion — and  that  is  what  I  wish  especially  to  draw  your  attention 
to — was  not  that  we  should  have  pure  water  for  the  benefit  of  us  all,  but  that 
some  new  basis  of  exclusion  should  be  worked  out,  in  order  that  our  native 
population  should  be  protected  against  the  menace  of  epidemics  of  this  sort. 


Miss  Grace  Abbott 

But  I  take  it  that  that  is  not  at  all  the  way  in  which  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  is  approaching  the  problem  of  the  immigrant  girl,  for 
Mrs.  Barnes's  and  Miss  Terry's  reports  have  both  indicated  that  it  is  not. 

You  undoubtedly  realize  that  no  matter  what  policy  is  adopted,  immigrant 
girls  are  going  to  continue  to  come  to  us  by  the  thousands,  and  the  problem 
of  their  economic  and  social,  and  in  a  sense,  political  adjustment,  is  one  that 
is    going   to    remain   for    the    American   women    to    solve. 

The  part  of  the  problem  that  I  am  to  speak  of  this  afternoon,  is  based 
upon  the  work  that  the  Immigrants'  Protective  League  of  Chicago  has  been 
doing  in  the  last  three  years. 

We  have  been  receiving  for  the  past  three  years  the  names  and  addresses 
of  the  young  foreign  women  and  girls  who  have  been  coming  to  the  city 
of   Chicago  from   the   various   ports   of   entry. 

We  have  visited  them  in  their  homes  and  through  these  visits  we  have 
learned  that  so  far  as  the  immigrant  girl  is  concerned,  she  is  in  need  of  a  safe- 
guarded journey  from  New  York  to  Chicago.  We  have  found  that  a  very 
large  number  of  girls  could  not  be  located.  In  the  first  year  and  a  half  some- 
thing over  eighteen  hundred  girls,  whose  names  and  addresses  we  received, 
could  not  be  located.  Sometimes  we  found  that  the  address  was  absolutely 
incorrect — no  such  name,  no  such  number  or  street  existed.  In  many  cases  we 
found  that  the  person  had  lived  there  at  some  time,  but  had  not  been  known 
to  have  been  in  that  house  or  that  region  for  a  year,  or  six  months,  and  nobody 
knew  anything  about  an  immigrant  girl  who  was  expected  to  come.  In  many 
cases  we  found  that  the  name  of  the  person  was  correct,  and  that  such  a  man 
or  such  a  woman  actually  lived  there,  but  no  one  knew  anything  about  an  im- 
migrant girl — they  hadn't  seen  her,  they  didn't  expect  her,  and  why  their  names 
and  addresses  should  be  given,  they  could  not  at  all  understand.  An  example 
of  this  sort  will  illustrate.  Three  young  German  girls,  sixteen,  seventeen,  and 
eighteen  years  old,  were  supposed  to  come  to  an  address  on  South  Clark  Street, 
in  the  business  district  of  Chicago.  When  we  visited  the  address  we  found 
that  the  man,  whose  name  had  been  given,  was  a  former  member  of  the  firm, 
had  been  dead  for  ten  years,  and  no  one  knew  anything  about  these  girls.  We 
have  also  found  a  good  many  cases  where  an  absolutely  fictitious  name  and 
address  has  been  given  by  the  girl  who  was  coming  to  Chicago — whether  in- 
nocently, or  purposely,  of  course  we  cannot  tell,  because  we  didn't  find  the  girl. 
Then  we  have  had  stories  of  trouble  on  the  way  to  Chicago,  which  explained 
to  a  good  many  of  us  the  reason  why  we  could  not  find  the  girl  in  Chicago. 
For  example:  A  young  Polish  girl  was  coming  with  her  sister  to  a  brother  in 
Chicago,  by  way  of  Canada.  At  Detroit  one  of  them  got  off  the  train  to  get 
something  to  eat,  and  in  returning  she  was  prevented  from  passing  through  the 
gate  in  time  to  catch  the  train,  and  the  conductor  would  not  allow  the  other 
girl  to  get  off  the  train  to  look  for  her  sister,  so  they  became  separated.  The 
girl  who  was  left  in  Detroit  had  only  a  ticket  to  South  Chicago.  She  had  neither 
money  nor  the  address  of  the  brother  to  whom  she  was  going.  They  did  not 
know  what   to   do   with   her   in   Detroit,   beyond   sending   her   to   that   refuge  for 


90  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  stranded  girl,  the  police  station,  where  she  spent  the  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing they  sent  her  on  to  South  Chicago,  and  from  there  she  was  sent  to  the 
Women's  Annex  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station.  The  matron  there  con- 
cluded that  it  was  absolutely  useless  to  try  to  locate  the  girl's  brother,  and  she 
found  her  a  place  to  work  in  a  restaurant.  Now,  it  just  happened  that  one  of 
our  visitors  in  South  Chicago  found  a  certain  neighborhood  very  much  alarmed 
over  the  fact  that  this  girl  had  failed  to  arrive.  They  had  telegraphed  to 
Detroit,  but  were  unable  to  get  any  information.  One  of  our  visitors  made  a 
visit  at  about  the  same  time  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  and  the  matron 
told  us  the  story  of  the  girl  who  had  come  in.  We  visited  her  and  found  that 
it   was   the   missing  girl. 

Except  for  the  chance  visit  which  we  made  to  the  police  station,  this  young 
girl,  whose  life  had  been  spent  on  a  small  farm  in  Galicia,  who  was  ignorant  of 
the  English  language  and  of  the  temptations  of  city  life,  would  have  been  alone 
in  Chicago. 

Sometimes  we  cannot  trace  them  so  well.  For  example,  two  Polish  girls 
were  coming  to  cousins  "  back  of  the  yards,"  in  Chicago.  We  went  to  call 
on  the  cousins  and  found  that  the  girls  had  not  arrived,  and  the  cousins  were 
very  much  alarmed.  They  had  had  a  telegram  from  Ellis  Island,  but  the  girls 
had  never  come.  We  wrote  to  the  Commissioner  at  Ellis  Island,  asking  him 
if  he  could  give  us  any  information  as  to  the  route  by  which  the  girls  came, 
or  additional  information  of  any  sort  about  them.  He  reported  that  the  girls 
had  started,  and  the  road  by  which  they  had  come,  and  he  found  that  two 
tickets  had  been  used  only  as  far  as  Rochester,  and  that  possibly  these  two  girls 
had  gotten  off  at  that  place.  We  visited  a  number  of  the  other  girls  who  came 
on  the  same  boat  and  the  same  train,  and  they  said  that  the  girls  had  gotten 
acquainted   with   a   man  from   Rochester,   and   possibly  they  had   gotten   off  there. 

Not  long  ago — in  December,  in  fact — a  young  Swedish  man  came  into  the 
office  and  said  he  would  like  to  help  when  an  immigrant  train  came  in;  not 
because  he  had  been  cheated  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  himself,  but  he  had  sent 
for  his  sister  in  1905  and  had  never  heard  from  her  after  she  left  Ellis  Island. 

Sometimes  we  find  these  girls  after  a  considerable  period  of  time.  The 
ones  we  find,  of  course,  are  the  ones  to  whom  nothing  serious  has  happened, 
beyond  considerable  temptation  and  difficulty  which  they  were  strong  enough  to 
overcome. 

This  sort  of  a  situation  we  have  felt,  means  that  there  ought  to  be  traveling 
with  the  girls  on  the  trains,  from  the  port  of  entry  to  Chicago,  official  inspectors, 
able  to  speak  the  language  of  the  immigrant,  able  to  find  out  the  needs  of  the 
young  people  and  the  girls  on  the  train,  so  that  it  would  make  it  easier  for  a 
girl   who  is  trying   honestly   to   reach  her   relatives,   to   do  so. 

We  have  also  felt  that  the  railroad  conditions  were  not  at  all  what  they 
should  be  in  Chicago,  and  I  hope  very  much  that  in  undertaking  any  work 
that  you  do,  you  will  look  into  the  subject  of  the  protection  that  is  offered  to 
the  immigrant  girl  upon  her  arrival  in  the  various  cities  in  which  you  live. 
The  immigrant  trains  run  on  a  schedule  all  their  own,  and  arrive  at  almost  any 


Miss  Grace  Abbott  91 

hour,  so  that  the  friends  and  relatives  of  those  who  are  coming,  find  it  almost 
impossible  to  meet  them.  They  are  expected,  for  example,  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  they  arrive  very  late  at  night,  or  they  are  reported  late  at  night  and 
come  in  so  that  no  one  can  tell  how  to  meet  them.  These  trains  arrive  in 
Chicago  with  three  or  four  or  five  hundred  people.  A  great  number  of  them 
are  transferred  to  trains  going  to  points  north  and  west,  by  the  transfer  com- 
pany, on  their  tickets,  quite  safely,  and  without  any  disorder,  trouble  or  diffi- 
culty. But  those  who  remain  in  Chicago  are  turned  over  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  private  express  and  cabmen.  As  a  result,  we  have  found  this  sort  of  thing 
happening:  An  expressman  would  start  out  from  the  railroad  station  with  a 
wagon  load  of  girls  and  men  who  paid  as  much,  or  more  than  you  and  I  would 
pay  to  ride  in  a  taxicab,  and  would  leave  them  at  any  place  he  chose.  For 
example,  we  had,  not  long  ago,  two  Slavic  girls,  who  were  going  to  Forty- 
sixth  and  Honore  streets.  They  were  taken  to  Forty-sixth  and  Huron  and  left 
on  the  corner.  A  man  happened  to  come  along  and  took  them  to  his  boarding- 
house,  but  the  boarding  boss  refused  to  keep  them,  and  so  he  took  them  to  a 
nearby  saloon  keeper,  who,  at  considerable  trouble  and  expense  to  himself,  under- 
took to  take  the  girls  to  their  relatives. 

In  another  instance  two  girls  were  left  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  by 
an  expressman,  at  a  house  where  the  woman  refused  to  receive  them,  because 
■she  said  they  were  not  coming  to  her.  A  saloon  keeper  again  came  to  the  rescue, 
and  they  stayed  three  days  in  his  saloon  before  their  sister  was  finally  found. 

Now,  if  one  could  trust  to  a  saloon  keeper  or  a  chance  stranger  passing  by, 
to  take  care  of  girls  in  distress,  one  would  hardly  need  to  give  further  con- 
sideration to  cases  of  that  sort. 

Many  immigrants  bring  addresses  so  difficult  to  decipher  that  expressmen 
or  cabmen  cannot  afford  to  spend  the  time  which  is  necessary  to  discover  the 
new  comer's  relatives  or  friends.  For  example,  one  day,  about  a  year  ago,  a 
girl  was  brought  to  the  office;  she  had  spent  the  night  in  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station  and  could  not  understand  why  she  had  been  locked  up.  She 
had  the  address,  ii6  South  Canal  Street,  which  was  the  office  of  an  employment 
agency,  and  she  had  been  taken  there,  but  the  employment  agent  said  that  he 
did  not  know  who  she  could  be  coming  to,  unless  it  was  some  one  that  he  had 
shipped  out  from  his  office.  But  the  girl  insisted  that  she  was  coming  to  another 
girl,  and  not  to  a  man.  She  had  the  address  written  in  the  front  of  her  little 
Testament,  and  showed  it  again  and  again.  We  tried  all  the  names  of  streets 
in  the  Polish  neighborhoods,  which  were  similar  to  Canal,  but  we  could  not 
find  the  girl's  friend.  Finally  she  suggested  that  her  friend  worked  in  a  bed- 
spring  factory,  and  in  the  third  bed-spring  factory  we  visited  we  found  the  friend, 
who  lived,  not  at  n6  Canal   Street,  but  at  1116  Canal  Street. 

To  expect  a  cabman  or  an  expressman  to  take  this  interest,  is  obviously  un- 
reasonable. We  have  felt  very  strongly  that  there  was  needed  in  Chicago  a 
Federal  Protective  Bureau,  where  all  immigrants  would  go  on  their  arrival,  and 
where  they  would  be  checked  up.  Friends  and  relatives  here,  expecting  immi- 
grants, would  then  know  where  to  go  to  find  them,  and  if  they  did  not  find  them 


92  Third  Biennial  Convention 

they  could  learn  to  whom  they  had  been  released.     Those  who  were  coming  to 
suspicious  addresses  could   be  held  pending  an  investigation. 

We  have  had  in  the  city  of  Chicago  an  investigation  of  the  white  slave  traffic. 
During  the  time  of  this  investigation  they  had  young  immigrant  women  in  the 
various  jails  in  Illinois  held  as  witnesses  against  resort  keepers;  some  of  the 
women  had  babies,  and  had  spent  as  many  as  eight  months  in  jail.  Now  I  be- 
lieve that  at  times  it  is  necessary  to  sacrifice  girls  in  this  way,  in  order  to  bring 
people  of  this  sort  to  punishment,  but  I  do  not  feel  that  American  women  should 
be  satisfied  with  this  method  of  prosecution  alone.  For  no  fine  or  punishment 
of  any  one  of  these  resort  keepers,  would  have  undone  for  the  girl  or  for  the 
community,  the  wrong  that  she  had  suffered.  But  after  the  government  has  so 
protected  the  immigrant  girl  that  her  safe  arrival  is  assured,  there  is  still  the 
very  large  problem  of  her  adjustment  to  American  conditions. 

As  Mrs.  Barnes  has  pointed  out,  one  of  the  first  needs  of  an  immigrant  girl 
is  a  knowledge  of  our  language  and  of  American  customs.  A  great  many  im- 
migrant girls  waste  much  time  waiting  until  they  get  over  that  initial  greenness, 
before  starting  to  night  school.  If  some  one  calls  on  them  it  makes  a  great  differ- 
ence in  the  time  that  is  saved  in  their  adjustment  to  conditions.  The  leaflets 
that  have  been  prepared  are  also  a  great  help.  Altogether  too  little  attention 
and  thought  has  been  devoted  to  the  subject  of  how  English  can  best  be  taught 
to  foreign  adults.  Until  recently  we  have  been  teaching  them  with  the  old 
primer  method  that  we  used  to  use  in  teaching  little  children — the  "  See  the 
cat  on  the  mat"  variety.  I  have  seen  classes  so  poorly  conducted  that  only  the 
most  ambitious  or  the  hopelessly  stupid  would  survive. 

I  remember  one  teacher  at  Hull  House,  who  had  a  class  of  Italian  girls 
who  had  been  here  for  a  little  while  and  could  speak  some  English,  but  could 
not  read  or  write.  They  worked  at  the  tailoring  trade,  some  of  them  at  home. 
The  teacher  thought  that  she  would  prepare  some  leaflets  along  the  line  of  Mrs. 
Barnes's  idea,  and  so  she  worked  out  a  lesson  which  was  to  go  in  some  such 
way  as  this:  The  pupils  would  begin  by  saying,  "In  the  morning  I  get  up,  I 
wash  my  face  and  comb  my  hair,  I  get  my  breakfast  and  then  I  go  to  work," 
and  so  on  through  the  daily  routine.  The  teacher  explained  the  idea  to  the  girls 
before  she  administered  the  first  lesson.  They  started  off  very  nicely  in  con- 
cert, "  I  get  up  in  the  morning,"  and  then  for  the  second  sentence  they  said, 
"  I  sew  pants  all  day."  For  to  them  the  most  important  thing  was  not  the  dress- 
ing and  doing  the  other  little  things,  but  their  real  work  in  life.  And  just 
so  it  is  with  us,  for  I  take  it,  if  I  asked  any  one  of  you  to  give  an  account 
to  me  of  your  day's  work,  you  would  not  begin  by  saying,  "  I  get  up  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  comb  my  hair  and  wash  my  face."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  after  that 
the  lesson  leaflet  was  made  from  the  sewing  trade.  A  great  many  of  these  girls 
are  extremely  eager  to  learn  English  and  to  get  an  education.  I  remember  one 
little  Lithuanian  girl  of  sixteen,  who  came  to  America  with  an  aunt,  because 
she  thought  that  every  girl  in  America  could  have  an  education.  When  she 
got  here  she  found  that  her  aunt  kept  a  disreputable  saloon,  and  after  a  black 
experience,  the  little  girl   ran  away.     She  was  taken  in  by  some  of  her  country- 


Miss  Grace  Abbott  93 

men,  and  brought  to  us.  We  found  a  place  for  her  to  work  In  a  nice  family, 
and  thought  that  her  future  was  more  or  less  solved,  because  they  said  they 
would  teach  her  English.  However,  we  went  around  not  long  afterwards  and 
found  that  she  had  quit  work  and  had  started  in  to  school.  She  had  saved 
thirty  dollars,  and  as  she  had  come  to  America  to  get  an  education,  she  said  she 
was  going  to  get  thirty  dollars'  worth  of  education  anyway.  So  she  had  started 
in  at  the  first  grade  of  the  public  school. 

Most  girls,  of  course,  do  not  have  quite  the  determined,  simple  faith  in  their 
future  that  this  girl  had.  We  found  a  great  many  girls  whom  we  visited 
the  first  year,  and  found  eager  to  learn  English,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
year  giving  it  up,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  found  it  too  difficult.  This 
is  especially  true  in  Chicago,  where  many  of  the  Polish  girls  work  at  dish- 
washing and  scrubbing,  which  are  not  included  under  the  ten-hour  law.  Most 
of  them  work  fourteen  and  fifteen  hours  a  day,  and  when  they  come  in  from 
their  work  they  do  not  feel  like  studying.  Those  girls  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  farm  work,  out  of  doors,  at  home,  and  the  change  from  that  kind  of 
work  to  a  sub-basement  in  Chicago,  is  a  killing  one  for  them,  physically.  With 
the  physical  exhaustion  which  comes  in  work  of  that  sort,  we  generally  find 
that  there  comes  a  moral  demoralization.  That  is,  the  girl  who  has  worked 
such  long  hours,  is  not  in  any  condition  on  Saturday  night  to  accept  the  sort 
of  wholesome  relaxation  which  an  organization  like  yours  would  ofiEer  her,  or 
which  the  settlements  and  the  parks  would  oflrer  her,  but  because  she  is  so  ex- 
hausted physically,  she  seeks  her  amusements  in  the  saloon  dance  halls.  I  am 
sure  that  one  of  the  things  that  you  will  have  to  meet  with  these  girls,  is  the 
effect  of  overfatigue  and  unwholesome  conditions  of  work.  I  am  also  sure 
that  you  will  find,  upon  investigating  the  homes  of  many  of  the  girls,  bad  board- 
ing conditions.  Even  those  who  come  to  relatives  or  friends  find  themselves 
among  a  group  of  boarders.  It  may  be,  for  example,  a  four-room  flat,  in  which 
there  are  already  a  man  and  his  wife  and  some  children,  besides,  perhaps,  five 
men  boarders  and  one  woman  boarder.  The  girl  comes  quite  innocently  to  a 
place  of  this  sort,  not  accustomed  to  live  at  all  in  the  way  in  which  she  is  going 
to  live  in  Chicago,  but  expecting  to  find  things  different,  because  this  is  America, 
and  not  home.  She  does  not  understand  the  danger  which  the  lack  of  privacy, 
and  the  restraints  which  privacy  exercise  over  a  girl,  is  going  to  be  to  her.  We 
often  move  girls  from  surroundings  of  the  sort  I  have  described,  but  too  often 
there  is  nothing  else  to  offer  her,  and  consequently  all  that  we  can  do  is  to  de- 
plore a  situation  for  which  the  girl  herself  does  not  feel  any  alarm,  because 
of  her  ignorance  of  the  situation.  But  we  hope  before  long  that  we  may  have 
something  else  to  offer  her  in  a  city  like  Chicago,  and  in  other  cities. 

Of  course,  in  any  work  of  this  sort,  the  cases  that  stand  out  more  before 
your  mind  than  any  others,  are  the  rather  tragic  ones  which  you  have  had  to 
deal  with,  and  in  which  you  have  been  able  to  render  some  assistance,  but  these, 
after  all,  are  comparatively  few,  in  the  great  group  of  foreign  women  who 
pass  through  your  hands.  I  feel  sure  that  anyone  who  is  meeting  these  young 
women,  will  come  out  of  the  experience  with  an  optimistic  spirit. 


94  Third  Biennial  Convention 

The  thing  we  want  to  do  for  the  immigrant  girl  is  to  help  her  to  keep  the 
virtue  which  she  brings  with  her.  The  ordinary  American  woman,  as  she  goes 
into  a  foreign  neighborhood  and  sees  the  dirty  streets,  the  bad  plumbing,  and 
the  dark  hallways  in  the  dilapidated  buildings,  feels  some  disgust  and  annoy- 
ance at  the  women  who  are  trying  to  keep  house  in  such  places.  Yet  the  women 
who  are  trying  to  do  this  arc  the  ones  who  are  having  the  hard  struggle. 
As  a  matter  of  necessity  they  come  to  our  poorest  neighborhoods.  They  must 
live  and  bring  up  their  children  in  the  neighborhood  of  our  segregated  vice 
districts.  Outraged  public  opinion  keeps  such  places  out  of  our  so-called  better 
neighborhoods,  but  if  the  immigrant  were  to  ask  the  same  protection  for  himself 
and  his  children,  I  am  afraid  that  he  would  be  answered  by  the  statement  that 
he  does  not  appreciate  the  great  blessings  of  American  liberty,  and  that  there 
his  protests  would  end.  At  any  rate,  the  immigrant  learns  all  too  soon  how 
law  may  profitably  be  defied  in  America.  The  only  one  he  finds  in  the  neigh- 
borhood who  is  interested  in  his  future  is  the  ward  boss,  who  extends  to  him  a 
welcome,  which  he  expects  to  profit  by;  and  the  girl  finds  others  there  who  are 
selfishly  interested   in   establishing  friendships. 

So  I  think  it  is  a  great  thing  that  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associa- 
tion is  undertaking  to  interest  itself  in  the  large  group  of  women  who  need 
its  interest  and  help,  because  they  are  strangers  in  a  strange  country,  because 
they  do  not  know  English,  because  they  do  not  understand  industrial  condi- 
tions here;  but,  more  than  all  else,  because  they  want  to  get  on  and  are  ready 
to  take  advantage  of  the  help  that  will  be  offered  them.  (Applause.) 
Adjournment. 

Friday  Evening 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  at  7.45  p.m.,  at  the  First  Baptist 
Church  Auditorium  with  Miss  Grace  Dodge  in  the  Chair.  The  devotions 
were  led  by  Mrs.  S.  B.  Penrose  of  Whitman  College,  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  after  which  the  chairman  introduced  Miss  Theresa  M.  Wil- 
bur, Secretary  for  the  National  Board.  Miss  Wilbur's  address  was  printed 
in  the  June  number  of  The  Association  Monthly. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Churchill  King,  President  of  Oberlin  College,  fol- 
lowed with  an  address  on  "  Facing  the  Facts  of  Life." 

Dr.  King:  I  suppose  there  are  few  things  that  the  real  man  or  woman  hates 
more  than  simply  to  mark  time — to  go  through  the  motions  of  things  without 
getting  anywhere.  And  surely,  if  there  is  any  place  where,  above  all,  we  do  not 
wish  to  mark  time,  it  must  be  in  the  region  of  our  moral  and  spiritual  lives, 
and  it  seems  to  me,  therefore,  peculiarly  worth  while  at  times  to  call  up  into 
clear  consciousness  those  great  silent  assumptions  that  underlie  every  such  gath- 
ering as  this.  Beneath  all  the  work  attempted  by  these  Associations,  all  the 
activities   of   the    church,    all    the    labor    of    Christian    education,    there    lies,    first 


President  Henry  Churchill  King  95 

of  all,  the  clear  assumption  that  the  supreme  interests  are  those  of  character; 
that,  as  Thomas  Arnold  used  to  say  to  the  boys  at  Rugby,  whence  have  gone  out 
so  many  of  the  great  leaders  of  English  political  life,  "  The  only  thing  of  mo- 
ment in  life  or  in  man  is  character,"  or,  as  another  has  put  it,  "  The  great  soul 
will  be  strong  to  live,  as  well  as  to  think." 

But  this  assumption,  which  underlies  every  such  gathering  as  this,  implies 
another:  that  convictions  and  decisions  and  ideals  and  hopes  are  needed;  for 
character  does  not  spring  up  out  of  vacancy.  It  roots  in  certain  great  con- 
victions; it  expresses  itself  in  certain  great  decisions;  it  is  guided  by  certain 
great  ideals,  and  inspired  by  certain  great  hopes.  And  the  only  thing  that  jus- 
tifies such  a  gathering  as  this — your  coming  and  my  coming — is  that  out  of  it, 
somehow,  we  expect  that  there  shall  come  some  deepening,  some  producing,  some 
maintaining,  at  least,  of  convictions,  decisions,  ideals,  and  hopes.  Unless  some- 
thing of  that  is  attained,  we  merely  go  through  the  motions  of  things ;  we  mark 
time ;  we  do  not  achieve. 

But  this  assumption,  in  turn,  involves  another,  that  time  and  thought  and 
attention  are  necessary ;  because  we  do  not  come  by  mere  drifting  into  great 
convictions  and  decisions  and  ideals  and  hopes.  They  necessarily  imply  that  we 
have  stood  with  time  and  thought  and  attention  in  the  presence  of  the  great 
truths — of  the  great  facts  that  make  for  character  and  for  reality  in  the  spiritual 
life.  Every  service  of  the  church  and  every  agency  of  these  Associations  goes 
back  ultimately  to  this  assumption  that  men  need  to  give  time  and  thought  and 
attention  if  the  great  things  of  the  spirit  are  to  have  for  them  the  grip  of  reality. 

And  there  is  still  one  more  of  these  silent  assumptions  that  underlie  every 
such  gathering  as  this:  that  these  questions  of  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  are 
alivays  individual  questions.  One's  father  may  leave  to  one  his  fortune,  but  he 
cannot  leave  his  convictions.  One's  mother  may  turn  over  to  one  some  precious 
heirloom ;  she  cannot  turn  over  her  ideals,  her  decisions.  Convictions  and  ideals 
and  decisions  are  matters  for  individual  settlement  always.  You  know  that  great 
picture  of  Raphael's — "  The  School  at  Athens,"  with  the  little  group  where  the 
students  are  gathered  about  a  geometrical  demonstration  on  the  floor,  and 
where  one  pupil  follows  the  teacher  with  attention,  evidently  getting  it  himself, 
and  another,  not  quite  catching  the  demonstration,  looks  up  with  inquiry  at  the 
one  bending  over  him  to  see  whether  he  sees.  It  is  no  help  to  the  second  that 
the  first  sees;  it  would  be  no  help  to  him  to  find  that  the  third  saw.  He  must, 
himself,  see.  And  we  are  getting  nowhere  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  except 
so  far  as  we,  for  purselves,  see. 

But,  as  I  suggested,  convictions,  decisions,  ideals,  and  hopes  do  not  spring 
up  out  of  vacancy.  They  come  from  re-action  upon  the  facts,  and  that  is  why 
I  am  asking  you  to  think  with  me,  of  what  it  means  really  to  face  the  facts  of 
life.  I  suppose  that  John  Fiske  was  quite  right  in  saying  that  the  men  of  this 
generation  are  separated  from  those  whose  education  ended  in  the  thirties  by 
a  wider  intellectual  gulf  than  ever  separated  two  successive  generations  of  men; 
and  yet  there  remain,  in  spite  of  this  enormous  intellectual  revolution,  the  great, 
common,   human    facts   that    are   just   the   same.      And    the   facts   that   I    ask   you 


96  Third  Biennial  Convention 

to  face  with  me  to-night  are  those  great,  common  facts  that  belong  to  you  and 
to  me  simply  as  human  beings,  that  abide  through  all  intellectual  changes,  that 
are  essentially  the  same  to-day  as  they  were  centuries  ago,  and  shall  be  the 
same  centuries  hence;  the  same  for  the  West  as  for  the  East,  the  same  every- 
where. Are  we  willing  to  face  the  facts,  or  are  we  ignoring  them — these  great, 
common,  human  facts — as  most  of  us  are  tempted  to  do?  I  cannot  forget  that 
ray  own  old  college  president  used  to  remind  us  that  the  essence  of  unbelief 
was  not  denial  of  the  truth,  but  refusal  to  treat  the  truth  as  true.  That  was 
all.  You  are  not  measured  by  the  truths  that  you  deny,  but  by  the  truths  that, 
recognizing,  you  still  are  practically  ignoring.  You  remember  that  momentous 
sentence  that  lies  so  near  the  beginning  of  Coleridge's  "  Aids  to  Reflection," 
"Truths,  of  all  others  the  most  awful  and  interesting,  are  too  often  regarded 
as  so  true  that  they  lose  all  the  power  of  truth  and  lie  bed-ridden  in  the  dor- 
mitory of  the  soul,  side  by  side  with  the  most  despised  and  exploded  errors." 
It  is  not  the  truths  that  you  deny,  but  the  truths  that  you  ignore  that  measure 
you.  Your  real  inner  creed  is  not  that  list  of  propositions,  short  or  long,  that 
you  might  be  persuaded  to  write  out  some  day  in  your  study,  but  that  much 
shorter  list  that  you  are  ready,  steadily,  day  after  day,  to  put  into  your  life. 
That  is  your  real  inner  creed.  As  Gladstone  long  ago  said:  "Many  men  know 
their  opinions;  few  their  convictions;  but  in  the  long  run  convictions  rule;  opin- 
ions go  to  the  wall."  And  convictions  come  only  from  reaction  on  the  facts. 
Let  me  ask  you  then  to  face  with  me  for  a  few  moments  some  of  those  great, 
common,  unmistakable  facts  that  are  quite  unchanged  by  any  revolutions  that 
have  gone  on,  even  in  this  most  revolutionary  time. 

First  of  all,  there  is  that  fact  of  our  double  nature:  that  we  have  that  in  us 
which  links  us  with  the  animal  downward,  and  we  have  that  in  us  which  links 
us  not  less  certainly  with  God  upward,  and  no  man  who  means  to  live  the 
life  that  he  ought  to  live  can  leave  that  fact  out  of  account.  I  used  to  think 
that  it  mostly  concerned  the  young.  I  do  not  think  so  any  more,  for  I  know  that 
there  is  a  more  cold-blooded,  but  I  am  inclined  to  think  deadlier,  sensuality  that 
besets  the  older  than  the  younger,  and  it  is  not  confined  to  one  sex  either.  As 
the  speaker  before  me  has  indicated,  we  are  all  tempted  under  the  pressure 
of  our  present  material  civilization  to  allow,  somehow  or  other,  the  material 
aspects  of  things  to  dominate  the  ideal.  It  is  still  as  true,  as  when  John  wrote 
the  words,  that  all  of  us  have  need  to  guard  ourselves  against  "  the  lust  of  the 
flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye  and  the  vainglory  of  life."  It  was  not  for  nothing 
that  that  old  fighter  said  of  himself:  "I  buffet  my  body  and  bring  it  into  subjec- 
tion, lest  having  preached  to  others,  I  myself  should  be  a  castaway."  And  a 
man  does  not  really  face  the  fact  of  his  double  nature  unless  he  is  making 
sure  he  is  living  his  life  on  such  a  plan  that  the  hold  of  the  animal  on  him 
is  steadily  lessening,  and  the  hold  of  the  Godlike  on  him  is  steadily  strengthening. 

And  side  by  side  with  that  fact  of  our  double  nature  is  the  fact  of  the  fate- 
ful gift  of  ivill.  I  raise  no  metaphysical  questions  to-night.  I  only  ask  you 
to  remember  that  the  philosophers  of  all  schools  practically  recognize  that  we 
all   have   much   to   do   with   the   shaping  of   our  own   characters.      It  was   one   of 


President  Henry  Churchill  King  97 

the  least  sentimental  of  our  American  poets  who  compared  this  fateful  fact 
of  Will  with  that  other  fact  that  men  often  think  so  solemn — the  fact  of  Death, 
to  remind  us  that  this  is  still  more  solemn: 

"  Men  think  it  is  an  awful  sight, 
To  see  a  soul  just  set  adrift, 
On  that  drear  voyage  from  whose  night 
The  ominous  shadows  never  lift; 
But  'tis  more  awful  to  behold 
A  helpless  infant,  newly  born, 
Whose  little  hands  unconscious  hold 
The  keys  of  darkness  and  of  morn." 

And  he  makes  the  man  who  has  come  down  to  an  unworthy  deathbed  say: 

"  Mine  held  them  once ;  I  flung  away 
Those  keys  that  might  have  open  set 
The  golden  sluices  of  the  day. 
But  clutch  the  keys  of  darkness  yet; 
I  hear  the  reapers  singing  go 
Into  God's  harvest.     I,  who  might 
With  them  have  chosen,  here  below. 
Grope  shuddering  at  the  gates  of  night." 

The  fateful  fact  of  Will !  What  would  it  be  rationally,  squarely,  honestly 
to  face  this  fateful  gift  of  Will?  Not  less,  I  think,  than  this:  that  one  should 
make  it  certain  once  more  that  he  is  living  his  life  on  such  a  plan  as  to  insure 
that  the  righteous  will  is  gaining  in  steadiness,  in  breadth  of  application,  in 
depth  of  application,  and  in  skill  and  tact  and  delicacy  of  application.  It  ought 
to  be  true,  ought  it  not,  that  as  the  years  pass  over  our  heads  we  should  find 
it  more  and  more  second  nature  to  do  that  which  we  believe  we  ought  to  do? 
It  ought  to  be  true  that,  with  our  widening  knowledge,  we  should  now  be  awake 
to  whole  spheres  of  human  life  in  which  we  have  obligations,  to  which  we  used 
to  be  blind.  It  ought  to  be  true  as  a  man  deepens  the  meaning  of  life  for  him- 
self in  his  own  experience,  that  there  should  deepen  at  the  same  time  a  sense  of 
his  obligation  to  his  fellowman.  And  it  ought  to  be  true  as  he  comes  into  a 
sense  of  what  fine,  reverent,  human,  personal  relations  mean,  that  he  should 
be  capable  now  of  a  tact  and  skill  and  delicacy  to  which  he  was  quite  a  stranger 
in  his  youth. 

And  side  by  side  with  the  fact  of  Will,  lies  that  other  fact  of  Responsibility. 
We  call  this  generation  of  ours  the  generation  of  the  "  social  consciousness,"  and 
I  suppose  we  have  a  certain  right  to  use  the  term.  It  is  the  proudest  boast  of 
our  time  that  probably  in  larger  degree  than  any  generation  that  has  ever  trod 
the  earth,  ours  has  wakened  up  to  the  sense  that  we  are  members  one  of  another; 
and  yet  I  am  afraid  we  are  still  far  short  of  seeing  what  it  really  means.  I 
think  sometimes  that  we  feel  it  economically,  politically,  and  socially  where  we 


98  Third  Biennial  Convention 

do  not  feel  it  in  the  realm  of  the  moral  and  spiritual ;  yet  if  there  is  any  place 
where  we  are  members  one  of  another,  it  is  here. 

One  of  my  own  pupils  said  to  me  some  years  ago,  when  I  was  urging  an 
important  decision  upon  him:  "But  I  don't  care  to  Influence  anybody."  That  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  matter.  That  was  quite  out  of  his  power.  He  could  not 
decide  whether  he  should  influence.  Steadily,  hour  in,  hour  out,  day  in,  day  out, 
he  was  tending  to  bring  to  his  level,  with  the  whole  power  of  whatever  per- 
sonality he  had,  those  about  him — pulling  them  down  to  it  or  raising  them  up 
to  it,  as  the  case  might  be.     We   are  members  one  of   another. 

Do  you  know  that  little  poem  of  William  Canton's,  addressed  to  his  daugh- 
ter, in  which  he  compares  the  influence  of  that  little  daughter  to  the  power  of 
the  angels? 

"  God's  angels,  dear,  have  six  great  wings, 
Of  silver  and  of  gold. 

Two  round  their  heads;  two  round  their  hearts; 
Two  round  their  feet  they  fold. 

The  angel  of  a  man  I  know. 

Has  just  two  hands — so  small! 

Yet  they're  more  strong  than  six  gold  wings, 

To  keep  him  from  a  fall." 

I  confess  I  do  not  know  what  kind  of  stuff  a  man  or  woman  is  made  of 
who  does  not  feel  the  mighty  grip  of  this  thought  of  the  way  in  which  our  lives 
are  inevitably  knit  up  with  other  lives.  So  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  any  one 
of  us  to  go  down  alone  or  go  up  alone.  Neither  you  nor  I  can  yield  to  an 
unworthy,  an  ignoble  thing,  without  at  the  same  time  making  it  harder  for 
every  life  knit  up  with  ours  to  make  his  fight  for  character,  his  fight  to  be  what 
he  ought  to  be. 

We  are  members  one  of  another.  And  the  earnest  man  cannot  fail  to  face 
also  the  fact  that  he  is  made  capable  of  absolutely  indefinite  progress  in  knowledge 
and  power  and  character  and  fellowship  with  the  living  God.  You  know  how 
persistently  Browning  emphasizes  this  single  characteristic  of  man,  that  it  belongs 
to  man  to  grow,  and  that  to  his  growth  you  can  set  no  limits.  How  does  a  man 
ever  face  that  fact,  without  making  it  sure  that  he  is  laying  the  foundations  so 
broad  and  strong  that  he  is  preparing  for  that  endless  development?  For,  even  if 
a  man  forgets  himself,  he  cannot  forget  that  the  only  thing  ultimately  that  he  has 
to  give  another  is  himself,  and  if  that  self  is  not  a  growing  self,  he  is  not  making 
the  gift  he  is  bound  to  make. 

And  there  is  another  fact  that  the  honest  man  cannot  refuse  to  reckon  with 
— the  fact  that  the  modern  novel  and  the  daily  newspaper,  just  as  really  as  the 
great  religious  literatures  of  the  world,  have  had  to  reckon  with:  the  fact  of 
Sin — a  growing  fact,  if  a  man's  face  is  not  in  the  right  direction.  I  do  not  fear, 
for  those  whom  most  I  love,  that  they  shall  suddenly  under  some  tempest  of  temp- 


President  Henry  Churchill  King  99 

tation  be  swept  into  outrageous  wickedness.  That  practically  never  happens. 
Long  before  that  time  has  arrived,  the  battle  has  been  lost;  the  inner  guard  has 
been  broken  down;  the  man  has  failed  in  the  inner  citadel.  No;  that  I  do  not 
fear.  I  do  fear  that  subtle,  deadly,  gradual  deterioration  that  sets  in,  almost 
unconsciously  to  the  man,  until  it  eats  out  the  very  heart  of  his  life.  You  know, 
some  of  you,  that  terrible  book  of  Harold  Frederic,  "  The  Damnation  of  Theron 
Ware."  The  damnation  of  Theron  Ware  was  that  the  young  minister,  almost  un- 
consciously to  himself,  had  allowed  this  subtle,  deadly,  gradual  deterioration  to 
set  in,  and  could  still  think  of  himself  as  sleek  and  prosperous,  while  he  was 
false  and  hollow  and  corrupt. 

And  there  is  the  fact  of  Death.  I  quite  sympathize  with  my  generation  in 
the  feeling  that  the  best  preparation  for  death  is  to  think  upon  living,  not  to 
think  upon  dying,  and  yet  I  confess  that  it  seems  to  me  that  the  reaction  goes  too 
far,  if  it  means  that  the  thoughtful  man  is  to  leave  quite  out  of  account  that  one 
inevitable  experience  that  comes  to  all.  For  myself,  I  would  far  rather  say 
with  Browning: 

"  I  would  hate  that   Death  bandaged  my  eyes   and  forebore 
And  bade  me  creep  past." 

I  should  Rke  rather,  with  open  eye  and  mind  to  face  that  inevitable  experience 
of  death  and  get  out  of  it  all  that  God  has  for  me  in  it.  That  would  mean  that 
I  should  need  to  forecast  my  memories,  to  anticipate  how  life  was  to  look  to  me 
as  I  looked  back  over  it  from  its  end,  and  to  wonder  whether  the  things  that 
had  seemed  to  me  so  important  were  not  then,  after  all,  going  to  sink  back  into 
relative  insignificance.  I  should  want  to  be  sure  who  my  visitants  were  to  be 
at  that  time,  and  to  be  certain  that  they  were  not  those  that  came  to  him  of  whom 
Lowell  speaks  in  the  poem  already  quoted: 

"  There  ray  dead  Youth  doth  wring  its  hands. 
And  there,  with  eyes  that  goad  me  yet, 
The  ghost  of  my  Ideal  stands. 
God  bends  from  out  the  deep  and  says: 
'I  gave  thee  the  great  gift  of  life; 
Wast  thou  not  called  in  many  ways; 
Are  not  my  earth  and   heaven   at  strife?' 

Oh,  Glorious  Youth,  that  once  was  mine! 
Oh,  high  Ideal;  all  in  vain 
Ye  enter  at  this  ruined  shrine 
Whence  worship  ne'er  shall  rise  again. 
The  bat  and  owl  inhabit  here; 
The   snake  nests  in  the  altar-stone ; 
The  sacred  vessels  moulder  near. 
The  image  of  the  God  is  gone." 


100  Third  Biennial  Convention 

And  beyond  Death  lies  the  fact  of  Accountability.  One  may  set  aside  as 
simply  pictorial,  if  he  will,  all  the  biblical  representations  of  the  day  of  judgment; 
still,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  the  essential  fact  forever  abides.  If  there  is  any  ration- 
ality in  the  world  at  all,  the  life  that  is  to  be,  connects  inevitably  and  rationally 
and  logically  with  this  life  that  now  is,  and  it  remains,  therefore,  forever  true, 
as  when  Paul  wrote  it:  "So  then,  everyone  of  us  shall  give  account  of  himself 
to  God." 

And  beyond  the  fact  of  accountability  stretches  the  fact  of  the  Future  Life. 
There  is  much  that  I  do  not  know  about  the  future  life,  and  there  are  many 
curious  questions  that  I  ask  and  cannot  answer;  but  if  there  be  any  future  life 
at  all,  there  is  one  thing  that  I  know  about  it,  and  that  is  simply  this:  that  I 
must  live  it  out  with  myself.  I  must  live  it  out  with  myself,  and  I  should  like 
to  be  certain  that  I  should  be  decent  company.  I  should  like  to  be  sure  that 
I  had  here  laid  such  foundations  as  made  it  certain  that  the  self  with  whom 
I  am  to  spend  the  eternal  years  had  something  rewarding  and  enriching  and  in- 
spiring about  it.    Less  than  that,  I  think,  would  not  be  to  face  that  fact. 

And  there  is  one  more  fact  that  the  man  who  means  to  live  in  any  degree 
outside  himself  may  not  forget:  the  fact  of  our  need  of  help  for  other  men. 

A  brilliant  young  Jew  of  my  acquaintance  said  that  it  was  this  fact,  per- 
haps more  than  any  other,  that  took  him  beyond  even  the  great  truths  of  the 
Jewish  faith  into  the  Christian  faith.  Because,  he  said,  it  somehow  seemed  to 
him  that  he  had  no  message  quite  large  enough  and  deep  enough  to  fill  the 
need  of  man.  Have  you  ever  made  it  real  to  yourself  that,  time  and  again 
in  the  course  of  your  years,  you  are  going  to  find  yourself  face  to  face  with 
souls  desperately  in  need?  It  will  not  always  look  so  on  the  outside.  The 
common  things  will  seem  to  go  on,  but,  here  and  there,  there  shall  be  given  you 
a  glimpse  into  the  depths  of  another  life,  and  you  will  understand  how  great 
the  need  is.  And  if  that  other,  now,  is  some  one  for  whom  you  greatly  care — 
your  son  or  daughter  or  nearest  friend — and,  if  for  you  your  great  convictions 
now  are  in  the  past,  your  great  decisions  all  done  and  gone,  your  ideals  faded 
and  dead,  your  hopes  buried,  what  is  your  message  of  help  ?  It  seems  to  me  that 
there  is  one  prayer  that  the  earnest  soul,  who  wishes  to  live  in  any  degree  out- 
side himself,  must  be  perpetually  putting  up  to  God:  "Lord,  speak  to  me,  and 
then  speak  through  me."  For  it  is  perfectly  certain  that  you  cannot  bring  home 
to  another  soul,  with  the  grip  of  conviction,  a  truth  that  has  not  first  of  all  gripped 
you,  and  God  must  first  have  spoken  to  you  that  he  may  speak  through  you. 

For  myself,  I  should  not  know  what  to  do  with  these  facts  of  which  I  have 
spoken  if  there  were  not  another  fact.  I  should  not  know  how  to  meet  and  face 
with  cheer  and  courage  and  mighty  hope  in  my  heart  the  fact  of  my  double 
nature,  the  fact  of  the  fateful  gift  of  will  that  makes  it  possible  for  me  to  choose 
with  God  or  choose  against  him,  the  fact  of  my  responsibility  for  others,  the 
fact  of  the  capacity  for  indefinite  growth  in  knowledge  and  power  and  character 
and  fellowship  with  the  living  God,  the  dark  fact  of  sin,  the  fact  of  death,  the 
fact  of  accountability,  the  fact  of  the  future  life,  and  of  my  need  of  help  for 
other   men,   if   there   were   not   the   other   fact   of   Christ.      I    have   nothing   meta- 


Dr.  Wilfred  T.  Grenfell  101 

physical  to  say  about  him  to-night.  Let  just  this  thing  be  enough:  here  at  least 
is  the  best  life  the  earth  has  seen,  and  I  cannot  pretend  to  be  in  dead  earnest 
either  in  fighting  my  own  fight  for  character  or  in  trying  to  help  other  men 
if  I  am  not  trying  to  learn  the  secret  of  that  life  and  putting  myself  just  as 
close  as  I  possibly  can  to  that  life,  until  it  becomes  second  nature  for  me  to  see 
things  in  the  light  in  which  Christ  saw  them ;  to  feel  about  men  as  he  felt 
about  them;  to  echo  and  re-echo  his  great  purposes  in  my  own  heart.  Not  until 
then  shall  I  have  proved  myself  in  earnest,  either  for  myself  or  for  others.  It 
was  something  like  this,  I  suppose,  that  was  in  the  mind  of  Browning  when  he 
put  into  the  mouth  of  the  aged  John  these  words: 

"Then  stand  before  that  fact,  that  Life  and  Death; 
Stay  there  at  gaze,  till  it  dispart,  disspread, 
As  though  a  star  should  open  out,  all  sides. 
Grow  the  world  on  you,  as  it  is  my  world." 

If  I  have  said  anything  to-night  that  has  had  any  tinge  of  exaggeration 
in  it,  you  may  forget  it.  The  facts — the  abiding  human  facts,  need  no  exag- 
geration.    They  need  only  to  be  squarely  faced,  with  honest  response. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  Chairman  it  was  voted  to  send,  by  cablegram, 
greetings  from  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  assembled  at 
Indianapolis  in  the  Third  Biennial  Convention,  to  the  World's  Student 
Christian  Federation  Conference  meeting  at  this  time  in  Constantinople. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Dr.  Grenfell,  of  Labrador,  who  spoke 
on  "  The  Joy  of  Service." 

THE   JOY   OF   SERVICE 

Dr.  Grenfell:  I  am  scheduled  to  speak  to  you  to-night  on  the  joy  of  trying 
to  do  what  you  can — "  the  joy  of  service,"  and  I  have  been  thinking  that  it  might 
prove  the  point  to  show  how  unnecessary,  how  almost  ridiculous  it  is  to  argue 
the  phrase.  Fancy  how  it  would  be  if  I  were  to  stand  here  solemnly  and  de- 
scribe the  "joy  of  being  useless."  True,  every  man  or  every  woman  who  has 
worked — and  you  are  all  students,  therefore  of  course  you  have  all  worked — 
has  known  at  times  the  joy  of  being  idle.  That  is  quite  a  diflEerent  thing.  I 
have  enjoyed  it  many  times;  I  have  had  to  know  it,  and  we  have  all  got  to 
know  that  sometime.  But  that  is  a  very  different  thing  from  being  useless.  Some 
years  ago  I  was  staying  with  a  friend  in  London,  who  is  now  one  of  the  best- 
known  surgeons  in  the  world,  as  he  operated  on  the  late  King  Edward — Sir 
Frederick  Treves.  When  he  came  home  one  evening  he  said:  "I  have  had  a 
strange  case  to-day.  I  was  called  to  the  Metropole  Hotel,  and  I  went  up  to 
one  of  the  best  suites  of  rooms  to  see  a  young  man  of  about  thirty.  He  said 
he  wasn't  well.  I  asked  him  what  was  the  matter  and  overhauled  him,  and  I 
couldn't  find  anything  wrong  with  him.     At  last  he  said  to  me:  'Well,  what  I 


102  Third  Biennial  Convention 

really  want  you  to  give  me,  doctor,  is  a  lethal  draught.*  '  Why  do  you  want 
that?'  I  asked.  'Because  I  am  tired  of  life,'  he  answered.  'What  is  the  matter 
with  your  life?'  I  demanded.  'Oh,'  he  exclaimed,  'I  have  had  about  every- 
thing that  is  worth  having  in  life;  I  have  been  around  the  world;  and  I  have 
had  everything  to  eat  and  drink  and  wear  that  a  man  could  possibly  have.' " 
Sir  Frederick  answered,  perhaps  cynically,  "  Why  don't  you  try  horse-racing, 
gambling,  and  betting,  and  see  if  you  can't  make  some  of  your  money  go  that 
way?"  He  said,  "I  have  tried  all  that.  Won't  you  put  me  to  sleep  so  that 
I  shall  not  ever  wake  again?"  This  man  found  no  joy  in  life  because  he  was 
simply  useless.  We  cannot  buy  the  true  joy  of  life.  It  is  one  of  our  greatest 
mistakes  to  think  we  can. 

A  little  while  ago  a  lady  who  was  a  doctor  asked  me  to  come  and  see  her. 
I  went  to  her,  and  found  her  ill  with  acute  rheumatic  arthritis,  that  is  to  say, 
every  joint  in  her  body  was  practically  dislocated.  She  could  not  sit  up  in  bed. 
She  was  a  duly  qualified  physician,  and  had  set  up  her  office  only  ten  years 
before.  There  she  was,  lying  flat  on  her  back,  and  she  wanted  to  know  whether 
there  was  anything  she  could  do  to  help  me  in  my  work.  You  might  have 
supposed  that  as  she  was  in  that  condition  she  should  be  thinking  of  helping 
herself. 

The  result  was  she  started  in  by  getting  her  nurse  to  write  a  letter  for  her 
to  one  of  our  very  isolated  people  who  never  had  a  correspondent.  Then  she 
got  to  writing  to  two,  and  then  got  others  also  to  write,  until  she  had  a  whole 
literary  association  just  writing  letters  to  people  all  along  the  Labrador  coast — 
lonely  people  who  did  not  have  any  other  correspondents.  Doctors  of  all  kinds 
have  been  in  that  room  again  and  again  since;  yet  she  has  never  asked  any 
of  them  for  a  lethal  dose,  because  she  has  a  joy  in  life,  and  because  that  joy 
is  that  she  is  constantly  doing  something  for  others. 

Now,  if  we  are  honest  with  ourselves,  we  have  got  to  admit  that  the  or- 
dinary sources  we  look  to  for  getting  pleasure  are  not  really  satisfactory.  For 
instance,  the  joy  of  having  fine  apparel ;  or  the  joy,  I  was  going  to  say,  of  eating 
too  much  food,  which  is  really  one  of  our  greatest  dangers  to-day,  except  per- 
haps in  Labrador;  or  the  joy  of  securing  men's  praise;  or  the  joy  of  family; 
or  the  joy  of  security  of  income.  To  be  honest  with  ourselves,  the  joy  of  hav- 
ing done  something  worth  while  has  infinitely  more  to  offer  than  all  these,  even 
at  the  moment;  and  in  retrospect  it  is  joy  that  does  not  pass  away.  You 
know  the  old  play  on  the  word:  when  some  one  asked,  "Is  life  worth  living 
anyhow?"  the  answer  was,  "Well,  it  depends  on  the  liver."  That  is  wonder- 
fully true.  A  great  many  people  do  not  have  any  real  joy  in  life  because  they 
are  just  clogged  up.  Instead  of  giving  out  anything  that  is  worth  while,  they 
are  like  one  of  these  sea-barnacles  which  you  can  always  find  at  the  seaside. 
They  are  free  swimming  animals  when  they  are  first  born.  Then  they  put  their 
heads  against  a  rock  and  hold  on  there  and  grow  a  beautiful  covering,  and 
they  spend  the  entire  rest  of  their  lives  hanging  on  and  kicking  food  into  their 
mouths  with  their  hind  legs.     They  never  let  go  if  they  can  help  it. 

The  joy  that  God   gives  to  the  person  who  believes  that  we  are  more  than 


Dr.  Wilfred  T.  Grenfell  103 

animals,  that  we  are  sons  of  God,  is  the  joy  of  capacity.  Presumptuous  as  it 
seems,  personally,  I  really  believe  that  God  needs  my  help.  Indeed  I  do  not 
see  how — unless  we  have  the  belief  that  God  needs  our  personal  help  in  this 
world — we  are  going  to  make  the  most  of  life,  or  going  to  think  life  worth  hav- 
ing. We  can  only  play  at  being  alive,  unless  we  use  life  to  do  things  for  which 
he  gave  it  to  us. 

A  man  walking  down  the  road  that  lay  between  Jericho  and  Jerusalem  saw 
a  wounded  man  on  one  side.  But  he  didn't  have  the  imagination  to  go  over 
and  help  him.  He  walked  on  and  prayed.  I  suppose  he  was  hurrying  to  a 
prayer  meeting,  so  far  as  I  know,  for  he  was  a  priest.  And  the  next  man  came 
along,  and  did  much  the  same  thing.  And  another  man  came  by.  He  was  a 
Samaritan.  But  he  went  over  and  picked  the  man  up  and  helped  him.  In  or- 
der to  do  it,  he  didn't  mind  the  danger  to  himself  of  having  to  walk  along  that 
insecure  road.  You  may  imagine  that  it  was  not  a  pleasant  task.  The  man 
was  wounded  and  naked.  It  meant  for  the  Samaritan,  having  to  tramp  along 
while  the  other  man  rode  his  horse.  Moreover,  the  other  man  was  nothing  to 
him,  in  particular.  He  was  only  "  a  certain  man,"  and  at  the  end  the  rescuer 
would  have  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  rescued.  You  would  not  suppose  this 
was  the  direct  road  to  joy,  but  it  was.  The  services  that  shall  bring  joy  into 
our  lives  are  within  our  reach. 

I  was  up  at  a  big  college  this  morning,  and  the  professor  of  chemistry  was 
showing  me  some  of  the  new  elements,  such  as  neon  and  argon  and  crypton, 
and  others,  which  I  had  never  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing.  Some  of  you  know 
that  there  are  many  more  elements  existing  than  man  can  as  yet  get  hold  of. 
They  are  prophesied,  because  they  have  got  to  fall  in  with  the  periodic  law, 
and  there  are  two  which  have  already  been  discovered  as  existing  in  the 
heavens  although  they  have  not  yet  been  found  on  earth — these  are  called  coro- 
nium  and  siderium.  As  I  looked  at  all  of  the  professor's  elaborate  work,  he 
said:  "We  haven't  got  hold  of  those  elements  yet,  but  we  are  all  ready  for 
them.  If  they  do  come  along  we  shall  find  them."  That  is  all  that  God  really 
demands  of  us.  He  wants  us  to  be  ready,  that  is  all.  He  wants  us  to  be  will- 
ing and  ready  to  render  it,  when  the  kind  of  service  we  are  adapted  for  comes 
along. 

My  view  of  a  missionary  used  to  be  that  he  was  a  person  with  a  somewhat 
elongated  countenance  and  a  very  unhappy  view  of  life.  But  when  you  find 
that  your  particular  mission  field,  whether  it  is  here  or  anywhere  else,  offers 
you  a  problem  that  is  really  within  your  power  to  solve,  there  can  be  nothing 
monotonous  or  unhappy  about  that.  Perhaps  you  ask,  "  How  do  you  find  it 
down  in  Labrador?"  Well,  I  have  known  young  surgeons  who  have  gone 
through  their  schools  and  their  interneships  at  home,  and  then  found  that  the 
practice  didn't  really  satisfy  them;  the  duties  were  too  regular  and  monotonous. 
But  there  in  Labrador  all  sorts  of  people  come  for  surgical  treatment — deformed 
children  whose  legs  can  be  straightened,  and  who  would  never  have  walked 
but  for  help;  blind  men  who  can  be  made  to  see  again.  I  remember  that  one 
man  came  who  hadn't  seen  for  seventeen  years;   he  had  a  double  cataract,  just 


104  Third  Biennial  Convention 

ripe  for  the  knife,  and  the  operation  gave  that  man  his  sight  again.  Monotonous 
life?  Would  anyone  prefer  playing  at  Atlantic  City  or  at  Bar  Harbor?  Which 
affords  the  truest  joy? 

And  renaennber,  you  too  have  your  opportunity  right  at  hand.  Which  is 
the  truer  conofort,  knowing  that  Jesus  Christ  made  somebody  sec,  or  that  you 
have  made  somebody  see?  Arguing  whether  John  wrote  the  Fourth  Gospel, 
or  going  to  work  and  seeing  if  you  can  reenact  the  things  therein  related,  your- 
self? I  am  glad  to  believe  that  the  gospels  are  true,  and  that  these  things  were 
enacted,  especially  for  the  sake  of  Bartimaeus  and  the  others.  But  it  affords 
a  thousand  times  more  gladness  to  me  to  believe  that  we  can  do  similar  deeds 
of  love,  and  to  learn  here  in  this  great  convention  that  by  God's  power  we  too 
can  do  them  and  are  doing  them. 

I  used  to  think  also,  that  the  problem  of  the  missionary  abroad  was  a  vision- 
ary one.  But  I  find  it  just  as  concrete  as  if  it  were  work  here  in  Indianapolis. 
I  find  that  there  is  a  man's  work  anywhere  for  those  willing  to  do  it.  I  am 
sure  there  is  work  to  be  done  for  others,  and  plenty  of  it,  in  any  college  I  ever 
went  into,  and  that  you  will  find  your  truest  joy  in  doing  it.  God  gave  us 
this  faith  in  the  value  of  our  lives,  in  order  that  right  here  ive  can  be  doing 
his  work  as  his  missionaries.  There  can  be  no  monotony  in  seeing  reenacted 
through  the  Christ  in  our  own  lives  the  wonderful  things  that  some  men  argue 
never  could  have  happened  at  all. 

It  is  a  comparatively  easy  thing  nowadays  to  take  a  child  born  with  a 
club  foot,  and  doomed  of  itself  to  be  a  helpless,  miserable  cripple  for  life,  and 
without  even  keeping  it  in  a  hospital,  to  straighten  that  foot  out,  to  let  the 
child  come  back  once  a  fortnight,  and  to  know  that  in  a  few  weeks  it  will  be 
walking  perfectly  straight.  It  is  a  huge  joy  and  not  a  very  difficult  matter 
to  make  people  with  crooked  legs  walk  straight.  But  the  still  more  worth-while 
problem  that  is  up  to  you  in  the  colleges,  and  up  to  me  as  a  man  who  believes 
that  God  can  use  me,  is  just  as  enjoyable;  and  that  is  to  make  people  with 
straight  legs  walk  straight,  and  this  is  the  spiritual  problem,  and  is  a  great  deal 
more  difficult. 

If  I  ever  have  a  chance  I  would  like  to  write  on  "  the  fun  of  being  a 
missionary."  It  is  the  greatest  sport  in  the  world,  and  there  is  never  any  reason 
to  weep  about  it  afterwards.  You  can't  be  beaten  at  it,  because  you  are  united 
with  the  source  of  all  power.  These  trolleys  outside  cannot  go  of  themselves, 
but  when  they  put  their  arms  up  and  get  in  touch  with  that  electric  power,  they 
can  go,  and  that  is  the  message  I  would  like  to  leave  with  you.  It  must  be  a 
joy  even  to  a  trolley  to  be  "going  all   right"  and  serving  mankind. 

Of  course,  we  all  sometimes  are  in  doubt  as  to  what  we  should  do  and  say 
and  believe.  Suppose  we  have  not  got  a  clear  intellectual  conception  on  all 
points.  Every  mortal  has  got  to  do  certain  things  by  faith.  I  am  staying  at  a 
hotel  here,  and  I  would  like  to  be  able  to  prove  that  all  the  things  on  the  table 
are  not  poison,  before  I  eat  them.  But  I  just  enjoy  eating  my  breakfast  there 
by  faith.  And  if  I  did  not,  you  would  have  a  right  to  laugh  at  me.  What 
would   you   think    of    a   man   who   sat   up   all    night   because   he   could   not   enjoy 


Dr.  Wilfred  T.  Grenfell  105 

going  to  sleep  unless  he  first  knewj  he  would  wake  up  again?  The  fact  is  that 
no  one  can  do  anything  worth  doing,  without  faith.  I  have  been  amused  at 
bearing  men  talk  about  "  doing  business."  I  was  in  a  room  in  the  Cotton  Ex- 
change in  Liverpool  about  a  month  ago,  in  one  of  the  cotton  broker's  offices.  He 
said:  "I  am  getting  too  old;  I  simply  cannot  buy  cotton  any  more.  I  can  buy 
it  when  I  am  sure  I  am  going  to  make  a  profit  on  it,  but  while  I  am  still  not 
sure,  some  other  person  gets  in  and  gets  it  first.  I  have  got  to  put  a  young  man 
in  here  who  has  faith  in  himself."  That  is  the  way  the  Lord's  business  has 
to  be  done.  You  don't  have  to  know  everything.  The  man  who  tries  to  get 
all  Heaven  into  his  head  is  going  to  have  his  head  split.  As  for  me,  I  am  a 
surgeon,  and  I  haven't  much  time  for  theology,  but  this  I  will  say,  that  I  enjoy 
trying  to  work  on  the  basis  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  has  not  left  me  sor- 
rowing yet.  People  sometimes  say  to  me,  "  Do  you  believe  that  all  operations 
for  appendicitis  are  really  necessary?"  I  have  to  answer,  "I  don't  knoiv.  But 
I  have  seen  several  people  die  who  did  not  have  it  done  in  time."  And  the  joy 
to  both  doctor  and  patient  when  a  life  is  obviously  saved,  makes  working  in  faith 
worth  while.  That  also  is  just  the  way  I  stand  with  regard  to  Christ's  power 
to  work  through  us,  when  I  want  to  make  new  men  out  of  old  ones.  Men  say, 
"Do  you  know  all  about  these  things?"  I  say  again:  "No,  I  do  not,  but  I 
am  willing  to  try  them." 

Some  while  ago  I  went  aboard  one  of  the  fishing  schooners  that  was  anchored 
in  our  harbor.  They  had  their  flag  at  half-mast,  and  I  went  to  see  what  I  could 
do.  When  I  climbed  over  the  rail,  the  skipper  of  the  vessel  said:  "I  have  a 
man  down  below  who  is  very  ill.  Will  you  go  and  see  him?"  When  I  went 
below,  I  found  a  man  in  a  dark  bunk  who  had  double  pneumonia.  He  wanted 
to  know  the  truth  and  I  told  him  I  didn't  think  he  would  pull  through,  but  we 
would  try  it.  He  said:  "You  don't  remember  me?"  "No,"  I  said,  "I  don't 
think  I  ever  saw  you  before."  "  Yes,  you  did,"  he  replied.  "  I  am  the  man  who 
said  I  would  take  Christ  as  my  Master  on  the  rocks  at  a  place  called  Indian 
Tickle  two  years  ago,  one  evening,  after  you  had  been  preaching  on  the  shore." 
I  said,  "Well,  what  difference  did  it  make  to  you?  Did  it  make  any  difference?" 
He  answered,  "You  talk  to  the  skipper;  I'd  rather  you  would  ask  the  skipper." 
I  asked  the  skipper  if  he  had  noticed  any  difference  in  this  man  in  the  last  two 
years,  and  he  answered,  "  Well,  he  has  a  new  home,  a  wife,  children,  and  a  new 
outfit  altogether,  and  has  been  a  new  man."  What  do  you  think  had  made  him 
a  new  man?  He  hadn't  been  brought  within  reach  of  more  dollars  a  week;  he 
hadn't  earned  a  cent  more  than  before.  He  had  taken  Christ  into  his  home  and 
heart.  Do  you  want  to  argue  with  me  as  to  whether  that  is  a  good  thing  to  do? 
I  could  tell  you  that  if  you  have  certain  symptoms  you  should  have  an  operation 
for  appendicitis,  because  experience  has  told  me  it  might  save  your  life,  and 
you  won't  regret  it.  And  experience  has  also  taught  me  that  the  cruel  man 
can  be  made  kind,  and  the  selfish  man  unselfish,  and  the  impure  man  pure  by 
Jesus  Christ  coming  into  his  heart  and  his  home,  and  I  naturally  enjoy  pre- 
scribing that  remedy. 

But  let  me  say  one  thing  more,  and  that  is  this:  we  must  be  willing  to  be- 


106  Third  Biennial  Convention 

lieve,  and  then  must  be  willing  to  act.  That  is  the  whole  trouble,  we  just  want 
to  fend  off  faith  in  the  Master  because  it  is  in  one  way  so  expensive  a  faith. 
It  is  really  the  most  remunerative  thing  possible,  but  it  is  the  most  expensive 
in  other  ways.  You  have  got  to  really  do  things,  and  sometimes  it  is  diflScult 
to  begin  that;  for  instance,  the  act  of  giving  your  last  dollar,  or  perhaps  having 
one  spring  hat  less,  or  giving  up  something  of  that  kind  which  you  imagine 
is  necessary,  is  hard.  If  you  are  not  willing  to  do  that  one  act,  whatever  it 
may  be,  you  will  never  reap  the  habit  of  doing  it,  and  if  you  do  not  reap  the 
habit  of  doing  these  things,  you  will  never  attain  that  character  which  spells 
happiness  all  day  long.  Faith  and  willingness  will  cost  us  many  of  the  "  tin- 
selly  "  things  which  blind  our  eyes,  but  instead  they  give  us  real  joy. 

Who  was  the  man  that  did  not  have  "his  master's  joy?"  The  man  who 
didn't  work.  It  wasn't  the  man  who  didn't  get  the  conception  of  predestina- 
tion right  in  his  head.  No,  it  was  the  man  who  didn't  pay;  he  was  unprofit- 
able. That  is  the  man  that  did  not  enter  into  "  his  master's  joy."  And  what 
was  that  joy?  Well,  it  wasn't  the  joy  of  eating,  that  is  pretty  sure;  it  wasn't 
that  of  drinking,  of  a  fine  house,  of  rich  company,  or  any  of  those  things.  It 
was  the  joy  of  the  victor,  the  joy  of  doing  the  best  that  could  be  done.  We 
all  know  the  story  of  the  Christ,  and  who  shall  say  that  his  was  a  wasted  life, 
and  therefore  a  joyless  life?  It  was  a  useful  life,  and  therefore  the  best  life; 
and  that  life  can  be  our  life — gladly  worth  while  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

A  little  while  ago  I  was  standing  opposite  the  statue  of  Moses  by  Michael 
Angelo.  You  know  what  a  beautiful  thing  it  is.  It  is  so  lifelike  that  the  sculp- 
tor himself,  when  he  had  finished  it,  made  a  dig  with  his  chisel  in  the  knee  of 
marble  and  said,  "  There,  I  have  made  you  perfect  and  beautiful,  but  I  can't 
give  you  life."  The  statue  was  like  a  person  who  is  rich  and  handsome  and 
intellectual,  and  who  has  all  the  graces  that  education  can  give,  but  is  without 
Christ's  spirit  in  his  heart — without  the  joy  of   life  abounding. 

May  God  grant  that  the  Christ  may  at  the  end  of  this  Convention  be  our 
companion.  May  he  come  and  relive  his  beautiful  life  in  our  lives.  It  won't 
matter  then  what  other  people  think.  If  we  do  not  then  realize  that  we  are 
getting  the  very  best  out  of  life,  I  am  much  mistaken. 

Hymn  No.  190,  "  Soldiers  of  Christ  Arise,"  was  sung,  after  which 
the  benediction  was  pronounced. 

Saturday  Morning 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  at  9.30,  Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds 
in  the  Chair.     Mrs.  B.  W.  Labaree  led  the  devotions. 

Before  calling  for  the  report  of  the  National  Board  the  chairman 
begged  the  Convention  to  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  Recommen- 
dations for  any  change  of  working  plan  are  not  binding  laws  though  they 
carry  moral  obligation  to  be  considered  and  well  looked  into  before  being 


Bishop  Edwin  H.  Hughes  107 

adopted  or  rejected.  Miss  Reynolds  illustrated  her  point  by  an  anecdote 
of  a  salad  she  made  soon  after  returning  home  from  a  sojourn  abroad;  each 
member  of  the  family  while  praising  the  salad  in  the  main,  asked  for  some 
change  to  be  made  in  its  composition  at  another  time;  one  wanted  more 
salt,  one  less  vinegar,  another  more  oil,  etc.,  until  the  salad's  ingredients 
were  quite  changed.     Applying  the  simile.  Miss  Reynolds  said: 

Now  I  wonder  if  there  is  not,  in  this  experience,  just  the  basis  of  a  sug- 
gestion for  us  this  morning,  as  we  think  of  those  questions  which  are  to  come 
before  us.  We  are  to  work  out  these  Recommendations  to  suit  the  tastes  of  dif- 
ferent palates,  and  there  will  be  an  adaptation  necessary.  I  wish  that  we  might 
realize  that  these  Recommendations  carry  a  moral  obligation  with  them,  but  are 
not  a  binding  law.  We  recognize  that  a  recommendation  is  something  that  is 
appiqoved,  but  is  not  obligatory  as  a  law,  to  be  obeyed  and  absolutely  carried 
out  to  the  letter  at  home.  I  think  that  if  we  just  realize  this  and  recognize 
that  the  Recommendations  go  broadly  over  our  country,  meeting  different  neces- 
sities, we  shall  look  upon  them  with  a  broader  eye  and  a  broader  understanding, 
as  an  ideal,  than  when  we  very  naturally  say,  "  That  is  an  excellent  idea,  but 
it  won't  fit  my  Association."  We  recognize  that  these  are  ideals  that  may  be 
broadly  recommended  and  broadly  followed.  We  do  not  wish  our  delegates 
to  feel  that  they  must  impose  upon  each  particular  Association  these  Recommen- 
dations in  detail. 

Mrs.  Harford,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  report  of  the 
National  Board,  was  then  introduced  and  read  to  the  Convention  the  report 
of  the  Committee,  as  follows: 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

I.  That  the  department  organization  authorized  by  the  Second  Biennial 
Convention,  1909,  be  maintained,  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  Department  of 
Method,  the  Department  of  Conventions  and  Conferences,  the  Foreign,  the  Field 
Work,  the  Secretarial,  the  Publication,  the  Finance  and  Office  Departments,  thus 
continuing  the  development  of  the  Association  movement  among  young  women 
in  city,  student,  industrial  and  rural  communities. 

II.  That  in  view  of  the  measure  of  success  which  has  attended  the  terri- 
torial plan  of  organization,  its  effectiveness  continue  to  be  tested  in  the  nine  ter- 
ritories already  organized  or  in  process  of  organization  until  the  time  of  the 
next  national  convention. 

III.  That  during  the  interval  between  this  convention  and  the  next  national 
convention  the  National  Board  be  given  liberty  to  organize  additional  territorial 
committees  in  such  sections  as  desire  them. 

IV.  That  the  budget  for  the  next  two  years  shall  be  not  less  than  $290,000 
annually;  of  which  $193,000  shall  be  the  budget  for  the  general  work;  $72,000 


108  Third  Biennial  Convention 

shall  be  the  budget  for  the  work  of  the  territorial  committees  and  $25,000  shall 
be  the  budget  for  work  in  foreign  countries. 

V.  That  a  building  be  erected  and  equipped  in  New  York  City  to  be  the 
general  headquarters  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  the  home  of  the  National  Training  School;  and  that  the 
Field  assume  the  responsibility  for  the  furnishing  of  the  building. 

VI.  That  all  Associations  recognizing  the  value  of  united  intercession,  give 
especial  thought  to  the  observance  both  of  the  World's  Week  of  Prayer  and  the 
Universal  Day  of  Prayer  for  Students. 

VII.  That  this  organization  record  its  approval  of  the  resolutions  passed 
by  the  World's  Conference  in  Berlin,  1910,  relating  to  personal  evangelism,  mis- 
sionary interest  and  industrial  conditions  among  women,  and  its  intention  to 
co-operate  in  the  carrying  out  of  the  same. 

(See  Abstract  of   World's  Conference   Report.) 

VIII.  That  every  city  Association  which  has  a  full  corps  of  secretaries 
shall,  during  the  next  two  years,  endeavor  to  add  a  foreign  secretary  to  its  staff. 
Also  that  when  it  is  impracticable  to  assume  a  full  secretaryship,  the  Association 
shall,  through  the  organization  of  missionary  clubs,  and  the  observance  of  for- 
eign Association  days,  secure  as  large  an  amount  as  possible  toward  the  support 
of  the  foreign  representatives  of  the  territorial  and  state  organizations. 

IX.  That  the  President  of  the  National  Board  be  one  of  a  committee  to 
represent  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  in  an  effort  to  federate  the 
organizations  doing  Travelers'  Aid  work. 

X.  That,  in  view  of  the  agreement  between  the  American  Red  Cross  and  the 
National  Board  to  issue  a  joint  certificate  to  those  who  pass  the  First  Aid  to  the 
Injured  examination,  each  city  Association  plan  to  extend,  as  far  as  possible,  a 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  First  Aid. 

XI.  That  through  their  physical  education  departments  the  Associations 
promote  the  work  of  the  Health  and  Honor  League  by  the  organization  of  local 
clubs. 

XII.  Inasmuch  as  the  utterly  inadequate  wages  paid  to  thousands  of  young 
women  throughout  the  country  often  hamper  the  work  of  the  Association  as  a 
great  preventive  agency,  and  as  the  white  slave  traffic  is  admitted  to  be  closely 
related  to  the  lack  of  living  wage,  the  Association  recognizes  its  responsibility 
as  an  inffuential  unit  in  the  body  of  Christian  public  opinion,  and  accordingly 
it  is  recommended: 

a.  That  the  Association  shall  seek  to  educate  public  opinion  re- 
garding the  need  of  establishing  a  minimum  living  wage  and  of  regu- 
lating the  hours  of  labor  compatible  with  the  physical  health  and  devel- 
opment of  wage  earners. 

h.  That  the  Association  shall  declare  its  belief  in  the  right  of  a 
woman  over  sixteen  years  of  age  in  good  health,  working  a  full  day, 
to  a  living  wage  which  shall  insure  her  the  possibility  of  a  virtuous  live- 
lihood. 


Business  of  the  Convention  109 

c.  That  the  Association,  recognizing  the  necessity  of  legislation  for 
the  regulation  of  hours  and  wages  of  wage-earners  in  industry  and  trade 
hereby  expresses  its  sympathy  with  the  great  purpose  of  securing  the 
determination  by  law  of  a  minimum  living  wage  for  women. 

d.  That  the  Association,  while  endeavoring  to  improve  the  indus- 
trial condition  of  the  working  girl  shall  point  steadfastly  to  a  higher 
standard  of  faithful  service  and  achievement  for  the  worker  and  of 
justice  and  consideration  for  the  employer. 

XIII.  That,  in  order  to  make  more  far-reaching  the  contact  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  with  women  in  industry,  the  extension  of  Asso- 
ciation work  into  factories  through  noon  meetings,  classes,  and  informal  clubs 
be  continued;  and  that  wherever  possible,  in  preference  to  organizing  Asso- 
ciations within  factory  walls,  the  establishment  of  rented  centers  in  the  in- 
dustrial sections  of  cities  be  advocated  and  employers  be  encouraged  to  con- 
tribute to  the  funds  of  the  central  Association  which  shall  employ  the  secretaries 
in  charge  of  this  work. 

XIV.  Inasmuch  as  the  housing  of  girls  away  from  home  under  proper  con- 
ditions is  clearly  within  the  sphere  of  the  Association's  fourfold  purpose,  it  is 
recommended : 

That  emphasis  be  laid  on  the  danger  of  neglecting  to  provide  for 
the  large  number  able  to  pay  fully  for  their  support  while  endeavoring 
to  solve  the  housing  problem  of  those  who  are  not  earning  a  living  wage. 

XV.  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  consider  the  question  of  an  amend- 
ment to  the  constitution  in  relation  to  the  ex-officio  vote  in  the  Biennial  Convention. 

In  case  necessity  for  such  amendment  be  found,  that  the  committee 
be  authorized  to  submit  in  writing  to  the  National  Board,  six  months 
before  the  next  Biennial  Convention,  such  recommendations  as  conditions 
seem  to  require. 

XVI.  It  is  recommended  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  submit  in  writ- 
ing to  the  National  Board,  six  months  before  the  next  Biennial  Convention,  an 
amendment  to  the  Constitution,  in  relation  to  extending  the  time  between  the 
conventions. 

Upon  motion  to  that  effect  the  report  was  taken  article  by  article  and 
discussed. 

Before  action  had  been  taken  on  Recommendation  I,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Wilson,  of  New  York,  said: 

May  I  call  the  attention  of  this  body  to  page  seventeen  of  the  blue  book? 
The  first  recommendation,  you  will  notice,  speaks  of  maintaining  the  work  of  the 
Secretarial  Department,  and  on  page  seventeen  of  the  book,  you  will  see  what 
that  department  includes:  the  Bureau  of  Reference,  interviews  with  candidates, 
preparatory  training  in  the  Training  Centers,  which  have  been  carried  on  in  nine 
sections,  with  eighty-four  students,  in  the  last  two  years,  and  in  the  National  Train- 
ing School,  which  has  its  purpose  stated  here  as  a  place  for  graduate  students. 


110  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Some  of  you  will  be  interested  in  knowing  that  four  hundred  and  twenty-four 
recommendations  have  been  made  for  the  technical  directors'  positions  in  your 
Associations.  Some  of  our  friends  do  not  know,  perhaps,  that  we  could  not  find 
department  teachers  for  them.  And  then  the  last  paragraph,  "  Judging  from 
recent  tables  of  a  similarly  organized  movement  in  which  nine  per  cent  of  the 
general  secretaryships  were  reported  temporarily  vacant,  the  time  may  never 
come  when  all  the  important  positions  are  filled."  So  I  say  that  we  hope  for 
the  forbearance  and  co-operation  of  the  field,  that  the  Secretarial  Department  is 
doing  its  feeble  best  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  field. 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  and  Recommendation  I  was  declared 
adopted,  as  were  also  Recommendations  11  and  III. 

Before  Recommendation  IV  was  put  to  vote,  Miss  Augusta  Brown, 
of  New  York  City,  said: 

May  I  explain  that  the  sum  of  $193,000  as  the  budget  for  general  work, 
means  the  budget  for  the  work  at  headquarters.  And  $72,000  is  for  the  work 
of  the  territorial  committees,  and  $25,000  for  work  in  foreign  countries;  that 
$193,000  includes  the  budget  for  general  administration,  the  budget  for  the  de- 
partment of  method,  the  student,  city,  and  Association  extension  committees,  and 
the  general  work  of  that  department,  the  foreign  department  administration,  the 
field  work  department,  the  secretarial  department,  the  Training  School,  and  the 
summer  conferences  and  conventions  department,  and  the  work  connected  with 
them,  the  finance  department,  the  office  department,  and  the  publication  depart- 
ment. 

Also  I  would  say  that  $45,000  comes  in  as  income  from  the  Training  School, 
from  the  conferences  and  conventions  department,  and  from  the  publication  de- 
partment. An  income  of  $18,800  from  the  summer  conferences  this  year  is  esti- 
mated, which  means  that  the  conferences  will  practically  carry  themselves;  that 
$12,000  is  expected  from  the  Training  School,  and  $14,352  from  the  publication 
department. 

Miss  Harriet  Broad,  Chicago:  Question  has  arisen  as  to  whether  the  $72,000 
for  the  territorial  committees  is  simply  the  estimate  of  the  budget  for  the  com- 
mittees as  they  stand,  or  will  it  include  territories  to  be  organized  within  the 
next  two  years. 

Miss  Brown:  It  includes  the  present  territorial  budgets;  but  it  says  "not  less 
than"  that;  so  when  the  other  territories  are  organized  we  can  include  the  other 
territorial  organizations  in  the  budgets. 

Recommendation  IV  was  then  put  to  vote  and  adopted. 
Recommendation  V  being  read  brought  out  the  following  remarks: 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha:  Madam  Chairman,  it  may  come  to  some 
of  us  as  a  little  surprise,  but  I  am  sure  with  great  pleasure,  that  we  have  an 


Business  of  the  Convention  111 

opportunfty  to  vote  for  a  building  of  our  very  own,  in  New  York  City,  including 
the  headquarters.  How  rich  we  are  going  to  be !  We  may  feel  somewhat  dis- 
appointed that  we  are  to  have  only  a  part  in  the  furnishing  of  that  building. 
We  have  heard  it  hinted  that  already  splendid  contributions  and  donations  have 
been  made,  and  the  lot  has  been  purchased,  and  that  we  shall  not  have  any 
part  in  it.  It  was  very  gratifying  to  hear  it  whispered  that  one  young  woman 
gave  a  splendid  donation  toward  this.  She  doesn't  want  her  name  to  be  known, 
believing  that  in  the  future  the  girls  must  support  and  believe  thoroughly  in 
supervisory  work.  Wasn't  that  refreshing!  I  had  to  tell  that,  but  I  don't  dare 
to  tell  you  the  name.  In  fact,  I  don't  know  it  myself,  and  I  couldn't  tell  you. 
(Laughter.)  But  it  did  seem  to  the  Committee  that  we  ought  to  have  some  part 
in  that  building,  that  the  New  York  people  should  not  have  all  the  fun  of 
building  and  owning  it.  But  we  do  want  to  supply  the  furniture,  at  least.  It 
has  been  said  by  some  one  that  they  don't  want  any  old  furniture.  So  you 
people  out  in  California  and  Oklahoma,  and  Nebraska,  just  keep  your  old  fur- 
niture, and  sell  it  to  the  second-hand  man  and  send  the  money  on  to  New  York. 
(Laughter  and  applause.)  I  shouldn't  wonder  at  all,  if  from  some  of  the  for- 
eign countries  there  would  come  contributions  toward  the  furnishing  of  this 
building. 

The  Chairman:  In  regard  to  the  foreign  Associations,  I  want  to  say  that 
when  the  British  Associations  were  purchasing  the  National  Headquarters  on 
George  Street,  I  think  the  first  contribution  came  from  the  Association  at  Ran- 
goon, India,  saying,  "  We  want  to  send  enough  for  the  hinges  on  the  front  door." 

The  Recommendation  was  adopted,  as  were  also  Recommendations  VI 
and  VII. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  VIII.     Its  adoption  was  moved 

and  seconded,  but  Miss  Harriet  Taylor,  New  York  City,  said: 

I  understood  that  the  Committee  made  two  alterations  in  that  recommenda- 
tion.    I  thought  the  Committee  added,  "  Territorial  and  State  Associations." 

The  Chairman  said  she  had  read  it  as  it  was  submitted  to  her. 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha:  Madam  Chairman,  I  read  it  so,  because  I 
thought  it  ought  to  be  that  way.  (Laughter  and  applause.)  I  will  just  say  that 
the  Committee  had  very  little  time  to  consider  that  report,  and  we  worked  very 
hard,  and  of  course  there  was  some  of  the  wording  that  might  have  been 
changed,  if  we  had  had  time  to  carefully  consider  it;  and  as  I  read  that  recom- 
mendation I  felt  sorry  for  the  States  and  I  put  that  in.  I  move  that  the  recom- 
mendation be  amended  so  as  to  add  the  words  "  and  State  organizations." 

The  amendment  was  accepted,  but  before  the  Recommendation  was 
adopted,  remarks  followed. 


112  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha:  From  our  Association  we  have  been  priv- 
ileged to  send  out,  just  within  a  few  months.  Miss  Ruth  Paxson,  as  our  secre- 
tary in  China.  And  you  don't  know  how  it  has  brought  us  in  touch  with  women 
in  the  foreign  countries,  and  I  should  like  to  recommend  to  every  city  Associa- 
tion, that  you  add,  as  soon  as  possible,  a  foreign  secretary  to  your  staff.  I  thought 
when  we  were  hearing  from  India  the  other  day,  of  what  they  were  expecting 
of  us,  Oh,  that  we  might  meet  that  expectation.  And  then,  as  dear  Mrs.  Trit- 
ton  spoke  of  what  the  World's  Committee  was  looking  for,  I  thought  that  we 
ought  to  try  not  to  disappoint  them.      (Applause.) 

Mrs.  S.  p.  Spencer,  St  Louis:  I  want  to  add  the  testimony  of  St.  Louis  to 
what  Mrs.  Harford  has  just  stated.  We  took  on  the  salary  of  a  foreign  secretary 
just  on  the  eve  of  our  building  campaign,  and  it  seemed  as  though  we  were 
doing  a  very  foolish  thing.  However,  we  not  only  raised  the  salary  without  any 
trouble,  but  we  had  enough  to  send  out  Miss  Edith  Wells,  and  equip  her.  This 
has  meant  so  much  to  the  Association  itself.  Of  course  all  our  girls  are  not 
going  to  the  Orient,  but  to  a  certain  extent  this  has  brought  the  Orient  to  them. 
Their  altruistic  tendencies  are  enlarged,  and  we  consider  it  one  of  the  great- 
est blessings  that  has  come  to  our  Association,  to  have  this  foreign  secretary, 
whom  we  can  call  "our  secretary."     (Applause.) 

Miss  Christine  W.  Cowie,  Detroit;  The  Detroit  Association  is  experiencing 
the  joy  of  preparing  to  have  its  own  secretary  before  very  long.  Owing  to  cer- 
tain conditions  there,  this  year,  we  have  not  been  able  to  assume  that,  but  the 
board  has  voted  to  attempt  it  in  1912,  and  there  has  been  a  committee  appointed 
to  investigate  and  prepare  for  it.      (Applause.) 

Miss  Harriet  Taylor,  New  York  City:  At  the  St.  Paul  Convention,  about 
fifteen  recommendations  were  passed,  which  bore  on  foreign  work.  That  became 
the  working  basis  for  the  foreign  department,  and  continues  to  be  the  same. 
We  bring  before  this  Convention  only  one  recommendation,  even  though  the  for- 
eign work  is  fully  fifteen  times  as  pressing  as  it  was  two  years  ago.  We  do 
this  because  we  believe  that  if  it  became  the  custom  for  large  city  Associations 
to  add  foreign  secretaries  to  their  staffs,  the  need  would  be  supplied.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  we  have  been  very  happy  to  have,  during  the  past  two  years, 
two  young  women  go  out  at  the  expense  of  their  families.  This,  too,  we  want 
to  encourage,  between  this  and  the  next  Biennial  Convention.  These  two  meth- 
ods, if  fully  carried  out,  will  make  it  possible  to  enter  the  open  doors  that  are 
waiting  for  us.     (Applause.) 

Mrs.  R.  F.  Davidson,  Indianapolis:  My  experience  has  been  that  it  is  harder 
to  raise  a  half  salary  than  it  is  to  provide  for  the  whole  salary.  The  money 
simply  comes,  and  I  believe  that  the  more  we  undertake,  the  more  we  will  be 
able  to   accomplish. 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  the  motion  prevailed,  and  Recom- 
mendation VIII,  as  amended,  was  declared  adopted. 

On  the  reading  of  Recommendation  IX,  request  was  made  for  some 
explanation  of  it  from  Miss  Grace  H,  Dodge,  of  New  York  City. 


Business  of  the  Convention  113 

Miss  Dodge  said:  I  do  think,  my  dear  friends,  that  the  time  is  coming 
when  it  will  be  necessary  to  combine  and  co-operate  with  other  organizations, 
to  protect  the  girlhood  of  the  whole  country,  and  that  as  there  are  only  a  com- 
paratively few  cities  that  can  carry  Travelers'  Aid,  it  should  be  possible  for  the 
whole  country  to  co-operate.  We  realize  that  with  the  great  tide  of  immigration 
before  referred  to,  the  girls  of  this  country  need  protection  more  than  ever  be- 
fore; also  that  the  time  is  coming  when  the  great  organizations  that  are  doing 
protective  work  under  the  Jewish  Council  of  Women,  and  the  great  Catholic 
organizations,  and  many  others,  will  have  to  carry  on  their  work,  in  some  way, 
together.  How  this  should  be  done,  I  cannot  tell  you.  That  will  have  to  be 
worked  out,  but  I  am  sure  that  it  is  necessary  to  share  with  other  friends,  so 
that  the  work  can  be  broader.  The  greatest  point  is  the  necessity  of  protecting 
the  girl  when  she  leaves  her  home,  as  well  as  to  meet  her  in  the  strange  coun- 
try or  city.  Some  great  combination  of  forces  throughout  the  United  States  must 
be  so  used  that  a  girl  will  be  followed  and  watched  from  the  time  she  leaves 
her  farm,  or  her  small  village  home,  until  she  is  in  a  safe  place  to  live  and 
to  work. 

I  want  to  say  that  work  has  been  started  in  New  York  City,  where  this 
idea  took  root  five  years  ago,  and  materialized  in  the  form  of  a  Travelers'  Aid 
Society,  with  the  hearty  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  the  two  Associations  that 
were  doing  Travelers'  Aid  work;  it  also  united  with  the  Jewish  Council  of 
Women,  and  the  Catholic  organizations,  and  others,  and  all  have  worked  to- 
gether in  a  small  way.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  a  few  weeks  ago  there  was 
organized  in  New  York  City  a  great  body  of  men  and  women  who  are  working 
for  the  protection  of  girlhood,  Mr.  Wanamaker  being  the  President  of  this  new 
Travelers'  Aid  Society,  and  that  among  its  members  are  such  men  as  Arch- 
bishop Farley,  a  representative  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  a 
representative  of  one  of  the  great  Hamburg-American  Steamship  Lines,  and  some 
of  the  most  prominent  railroad  men  of  the  country,  forming  a  group  of  fifteen 
men,  who  have  been  giving  time  and  earnest  attention  to  the  matter.  So  the  time 
has  arrived  when  women  must  co-operate  with  men,  as  well  as  with  the  country 
at  large,  to  do  a  proper  share  of  the  work  of  the  world. 

Miss  Frances  C.  Gage,  Seattle:  I  would  just  like  to  ask  a  question  in  regard 
to  this.  I  see  here  it  is  said,  "  in  an  effort  to  federate  the  organizations  doing 
Travelers'  Aid  work."  That  word  "  doing "  troubles  me  a  little  bit.  In  the 
Northwest  we  have  been  doing  Travelers'  Aid  work  ever  since  the  first  World's 
Fair  came  West,  and  we  have  already  federated  in  our  committees,  members 
of  the  Jewish  and  Catholic  organizations,  and  of  other  large  organizations  in 
the  country,  which  have  been  doing  Travelers'  Aid  work.  But  there  are  other 
organizations  of  women  who  would  like  to  have  a  part  in  this  work.  For  in- 
stance, the  Women's  Clubs  of  the  Coast,  and  the  Woman  Suffrage  Movement, 
and  other  organizations  of  women  who  are  earnestly  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  the  girlhood  of  our  country,  and  I  am  wondering  if  that  word  "  doing "  is 
not  a  limitation  that  is  not  absolutely  necessary.  Perhaps  the  one  who  framed 
the  suggestion,  could  give  an  answer,  and  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  change  it. 


114  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Miss  Mary  E.  S.  Colt,  Baltimore:  May  I  say  that  in  Baltimore  we  have 
already  called  a  meeting  of  the  representatives  of  all  the  various  organizations, 
to  meet  and  consider  this  question  of  Travelers'  Aid  work. 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha:  Answering  Miss  Gage,  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  language  of  this  recommendation  will  not  prevent  other  organizations  from 
coming  in.  The  women's  clubs  have  been  doing  it  as  a  general  body,  in  a  small 
way,  in   diflferent  places. 

Mrs.  Ward,  Denver:  I  think  one  point  has  not  yet  been  touched  upon,  and 
that  is  that  our  home  missionary  societies  throughout  this  country,  and  especially 
the  women's  boards,  are  going  to  be  very  glad  and  willing  to  co-operate  with  us. 

Miss  Cornelia  Souther,  St.  Louis:  As  I  understand  it,  this  recommendation 
does  not  involve   any  of   our   local   Associations   especially? 

The  Chairman:  It  is  merely  that  we  officially  appoint  the  President  to  be 
one   of   a   committee   to   represent   the   Young  Women's    Christian   Associations. 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge,  New  York  City:  I  feel  that  the  Travelers'  Aid  espe- 
cially belongs  to  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  movement,  and  that 
instead  of  doing  what  we  have  done,  we  should  do — I  was  going  to  say  an 
hundredfold  more.  (Applause.)  This  proposed  federation  is  not  to  prevent 
the  Associations  doing  more.  The  Associations  should  do  more  than  they  ever 
thought  of  doing  before.  It  seems  to  me  that  perhaps  we  can  eventually  form 
a  special  committee — not  only  a  committee  for  the  purpose  of  meeting  the  girls 
at  the  stations,  but  a  committee  to  look  after  the  strangers  when  they  come  into 
our  Associations.  Is  it  possible,  in  our  large  cities,  for  one  or  two  persons  to 
cover  the  whole  city,  with  all  the  trains  that  are  constantly  arriving?  Do  you 
realize  that  great  question?  I  was  glad  to  learn  that  the  Indianapolis  Associa- 
tion is  taking  care  of  these  great  Interurban  Lines  coming  in  from  different  places. 
As  I  study  this  matter,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  must  do  more  than  we  have  ever 
done  before;  that  we  must  co-operate  gladly,  willingly  with  all  the  other  agencies, 
and  be  a  great  force  through  the  Association  movement,  plus  all  sorts  of  other 
movements,  the  Home  Mission  Boards,  and  all,  to  try  to  protect  the  girls  of  our 
country.      (Applause.) 

Miss  M.  Belle  Jeffery,  Minneapolis:  We  have  been  doing  Travelers'  Aid 
work  in  Minneapolis,  in  the  two  stations  there,  where  we  have  some  one  from 
seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  This  movement  will 
mean  an  increase  of  our  own  Association  responsibilities,  rather  than  the  lessen- 
ing of  the  responsibilities,  for  it  seems  to  me  that  preeminently  the  work  of  the 
Association  is  reaching  out  after  these  girls  when  they  first  come  to  the  city; 
that  we  have  the  equipment  and  opportunity  of  helping  them,  as  no  other  local 
organization  can ;  and  I  think  this  Convention  should  take  this  step  with  the 
realization  that  it  is  for  the  advancement  of  our  own  responsibilities  in  the  line 
of  the  Travelers'  Aid  work,  and  that  it  is  our  work  more  than  that  of  any  other 
organization. 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  the  motion  prevailed,  and  Recommen- 
dation IX  was  declared  adopted,  as  was  likewise  Recommendation  X. 


Business  of  the  Convention  115 

An  explanation  of  Recommendation  XI  was  asked  for  from  Dr.  Anna 
L.  Brown,  that  the  details  of  this  clause  might  be  quite  clearly  under- 
stood. 

Dr.  Brown,  New  York:  The  Health  and  Honor  League  is  simply  a  propo- 
sition on  the  part  of  the  National  Board  to  relate  all  the  young  women  of  the 
country  to  the  Board,  to  develop  through  practice,  the  standards  which  we  hold 
to  be  essential  to  success  in  life — the  standards  of  health  and  efficiency.  The 
world  is  not  perishing  for  a  lack  of  knowledge  so  much  as  it  is  perishing  for 
lack  of  a  conviction  strong  enough  to  practice  the  knowledge  already  possessed. 

The  Health  and  Honor  League  is  an  attempt  to  encourage  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  in  the  active  promulgation  of  plans  which  shall 
enlist  the  girls  themselves  in  the  practice  of  the  elementary,  fundamental  rules 
of  health. 

Clubs  should  be  formed  in  local  Associations  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
various  activities;  not  only  out-of-door  activities — although  we  would  like  to 
emphasize  the  value  of  those — but  also  indoor  activities,  the  promotion  of  social 
activities  and  the  development  of  the  social  side  of  the  girl's  nature,  while,  at 
the  same  time,  she  is  being  taught  that  it  is  anti-social  to  have  ill  health;  that 
in  order  to  be  at  her  best  she  must  be  physically  well,  and  it  is  worth  her  while 
to  make  the  eflFort.  The  Health  and  Honor  League  proposes  to  impress  upon  the 
girlhood  of  the  country  the  value  of  patient  persistence  in  practice,  as  a  means 
of  making  perfect.  It  must  do  this  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  work  wholly 
attractive  and  desirable.  The  girls  themselves  must  want  it;  they  must  want 
to  have,  to  do  and  to  be.  And  so  we  put  the  responsibility  where  I  think  it 
belongs,  upon  the  Department  of  Hygiene  and  Physical  Education,  and  it  gives 
that  department  in  our  local  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations,  a  chance 
to  prove  what  they  have  so  long  been  preaching,  and  it  gives  us  a  chance  to 
practice,  ourselves,  what  we  have  been  so  long  preaching — that  if  this  thing 
which  we  call  health   is  worth  having,  it  is  worth  working  for. 

And  when  the  local  clubs  have  been  organized  with  the  definite  purpose  of 
promoting  some  recreational  activities,  then  the  girls  who  have  enlisted  shall 
have  given  to  them  these  simple  rules  of  health,  which  they  will  be  required 
to  practice  daily,  along  with  the  rules  of  the  games,  or  the  sport,  whatever  it 
may  be,  and  after  they  have  had  time  enough  to  prove  that  they  are  in  earnest, 
and  to  have  gotten  rid  of  the  bad  habits  which  they  already  possess — for  we 
all  do  possess  them — and  to  have  acquired  good  habits,  those  fundamental  habits, 
and  have  also  acquired  skill  in  the  activity  which  they  have  chosen  as  theirs, 
then  we  want  them  to  have  recognition,  we  want  them  to  belong  to  a  great 
company  of  girls  and  young  women,  who,  throughout  the  land,  are  working  for 
the  same  great  end.  We  want  all  of  our  Associations  to  pledge  themselves  to 
give  our  girls  and  our  young  women  a  chance  to  do  the  things  about  which 
we  talk. 

This  plan  of  organization  is  so  very  simple  that  anyone  who  wishes  to 
possess  herself  of  the  facts,  may  pick  up  the  leaflet  in  the  Publication  Room  at 


116  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  and  look  over  the  rules  and  decide 
upon  the  value  of  them  for  herself. 

Mrs.  W.  a.  Hubbard,  Iowa:  I  think  that  Dr.  Brown  omitted  one  point  which 
she  made  before  the  Committee  yesterday,  in  regard  to  dress  reform,  or  in  regard 
to  sensible  dress. 

Dr.  Brown:  Occupations  or  amusements  will  teach  the  need  of  these  reforms. 
For  instance,  should  a  group  of  girls  form  a  walking  club,  the  first  thing  that 
those  girls  are  going  to  discover,  is  that  in  order  to  walk  they  really  must  be 
properly  dressed ;   they  must  have  shoes  in  which  they  can  walk. 

Mrs.  C.  W.  Woods,  Iowa:  I  would  like  to  ask  if  this  could  not  be  best  in- 
troduced through  a  new  committee  especially  adapted  to  that  particular  line 
of  work? 

Dr.  Brown:  Through  a  new  committee,  which  would  be  responsible  to  the 
Associations,  for  promoting  the  whole  scheme.  The  committee  should  be  under 
the  supervision  or  a  part  of  the  Department  of  Hygiene  and  Physical  Educa- 
tion. When  I  speak  of  the  Physical  Department  I  always  feel  as  if  I  were 
speaking  of  the  small  wing  of  a  large  bird.  I  wish  we  might  remember  that 
this  whole  department  is  standing  for  big  things;  it  is  standing  not  only  for  the 
physical  health,  but  the  moral  health  of  the  womanhood  of  this  country. 

Mrs.  Emma  F.  Byers,  Minneapolis:  I  want  to  indorse  this  suggestion.  I 
think  it  is  something  that  we  are  looking  for  in  our  city  Associations.  I  think 
it  will  solve  a  great  many  problems  for  us  and  I  want  to  especially  emphasize 
the  word  "  honor "  that  comes  in  there. 

Recommendation  XI  was  duly  adopted. 

Recommendation  XII    (Recommendation  XIII  in  the  printed  list) 
provoked  much  discussion. 

Mrs.  Hunnicut,  Evansville,  Ind.:  It  seems  to  me  that  this  recommendation 
is  one  of  the  most  important  recommendations  submitted  by  the  National  Board. 
It  takes  up  questions  that  are  confronting  workers  in  all  lines  of  activity,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  should  receive  the  hearty  support  of  all  those  who  are  in- 
terested  in  the  work  of  the  Young  Women's   Christian   Association. 

Miss  Mildred  Rutherford,  Georgia:  Georgia  must  speak  upon  this  question. 
Madam  Chairman.  I  come  from  a  section  of  the  country  that  stands  for  State's 
rights,  and  here  is  a  question  that  is  going  to  mean  much  to  us.  From  the  South 
alone,  that  section  that  brought  in  nine  hundred  million  dollars  last  year,  through 
her  cotton  crop,  all  the  mill  girls  employed  in  that  part  of  the  country  will 
speak  to  you.  If  we  advocate  this  measure  those  factories  in  that  section  of  the 
country  will  be  barred  to  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  Those  mill 
owners  will  say  to  us,  "  No,  you  cannot  dictate  to  us  what  we  shall  pay  our 
wage  earners;  that  is  a  question  for  the  individual  to  settle."  Now,  realizing 
the  importance  of  seeing  that  those  wages  are  adequate  to  the  work  rendered, 
I  shall  be  glad  to  enter  into  any  educational  line  with  reference  to  that  point. 
I  shall  do  all   in  my  power,  as  Chairman  of  the  Gulf  States  Committee,  to  ad- 


Business  of  the  Convention  117 

vocate  that  the  wages  shall  be  adequate,  and  I  shall  do  everything  to  express 
disapproval  of  conditions  that  keep  back  a  woman  from  having  the  wage  she 
deserves.  But  I  want  to  sound  now  a  danger  note,  that  the  work  of  our  Young 
Women's  Christian  Associations  will  be  greatly  hampered  in  these  mills  and 
factories  in  our  section,  and  I  must  go  on  record  that  it  will  interfere  with  our 
State's  rights  and  our  individual  rights  in  the  matter,     (Applause.) 

Miss  Marian  Lumley,  Ohio:  I  want  to  speak  as  a  business  woman,  who 
has  been  engaged  in  business  for  a  long  time,  and  I  want  to  say  that  you  have 
touched  the  deepest  chord  in  my  nature  this  morning,  when  you  say  that  it  is 
the  right  of  a  woman  to  have  a  living  wage,  which  shall  insure  her  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  virtuous  livelihood.  (Applause.)  I  want  to  say,  as  a  woman  who 
started  with  a  small  wage,  and  as  a  woman  who  now  commands  the  highest 
wage,  that  I  stand  for  this  justice,  in  defiance  of  all  opposition,  and  I  am  sure 
that  I  have  the  sympathy  of  many  of  our  noblest  business  men.     (Applause.) 

Miss  Anna  D.  Casler,  North  Carolina:  Representing,  also,  a  section  of  the 
South,  and  dealing  with  employers  who  are  interested  in  the  mill  village  and 
the  industrial  question,  I  feel  that  I  would  like  to  say  a  word,  after  what  has 
been  said  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Gulf  States  Committee.  I  fear  that  there 
will  be  a  misunderstanding  of  the  position  of  the  men  with  whom  we  are  con- 
cerned in  the  industrial  questions  of  the  South,  if  I  do  not  add  that  word. 

As  I  understand  the  recommendations  which  are  before  us,  we  are  not  ad- 
vocating radical  and  extreme  measures,  but  are  expressing  our  sympathy  with 
every  movement  and  every  eflFort  that  has  to  do  with  the  advancement  of  the 
wages  of  young  women  until  they  shall  be  a  living  wage.  I  know  that  we  are, 
in  that  matter,  heartily  seconded  by  those  who  are  themselves  employers,  in  the 
best  industrial  concerns  with  which  we  have  dealings.  I  have,  within  a  few 
weeks,  talked  with  the  president  of  one  of  the  leading  cotton  mills  in  the  South, 
who  told  me  that  unless  we,  who  are  connected  with  the  industrial  conditions,  do 
stand  for  a  constant  improvement  of  those  conditions,  we  will  not  be  doing  what 
we  should  do  as  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  And  I  know  that 
such  employers  are  themselves  working  along  these  lines,  and  that  they  are  not 
only  at  present  paying  good  wages  in  the  best  cotton  mills,  but  they  are  working 
to  bring  other  employers  up  to  those  standards.  Therefore  I  believe  that  we 
shall  not  find  opposition  but  co-operation  if  we  adopt  this  recommendation. 

Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Slocum,  Colorado.  Madam  Chairman:  We  say  here  that  we 
are  going  to  seek  to  educate  public  opinion.  It  seems  to  me  the  wording  of  this 
whole  recommendation  shows  the  minds  of  the  people  who  formed  this  recommen- 
dation. It  seems  so  carefully  worded.  We  are  not  rushing  into  hasty  legislation, 
or  asking  any  of  our  friends  to  do  it.  We  are  not  asked  to  do  anything  more 
than  to  express  what  is  in  our  hearts — the  desire  of  abundant  life  for  these  girls. 
We  are  asking  for  a  minimum  wage,  that  their  personal  honor  and  virtue  may 
be  strengthened.  I  cannot  but  feel  that  this  is  a  most  guarded.  Christian  and 
worthy  expression  of  what  is  in  all  our  hearts.  It  does  not  mean  hasty  legislation, 
but  the  education  of  public  opinion. 

I  have  lately  talked  with  a  man  who  is  chairman  of  a  committee,  which  I 


118  Third  Biennial  Convention 

wish  I  could  name,  but  I  cannot.  It  is  a  national  committee,  composed,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  of  the  heads  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  interests  in  the  country, 
and  no  one  of  us  could  voice  more  intensely  than  did  he,  the  desire  that  the 
person  who  works  should  receive  full  justice.  A  large  employer,  he  spoke  what 
I  think  is  the  exact  expression  here,  of  the  desire  that  we  shall  so  educate  public 
opinion  that  we  may  at  least  have  a  minimum  wage.      (Applause.) 

Mrs.  L.  WiLBtJR  Messer,  Chicago:  This  recommendation  is  one  that  should 
appeal  to  the  heart  of  every  true  woman  here,  who  sympathizes  with  working 
girls.  But  the  question  comes  to  my  mind,  and  it  is  to  me,  a  very  serious  question, 
as  to  whether  or  not  it  is  for  our  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  to  take 
up  this  matter  of  an  adjustment  of  wages.  I  think  that  we,  as  women,  should 
do  everything  that  can  be  done  to  bring  about  the  right  condition  of  things,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  we  should  be  at  present  satisfied  to  do  what  we  can  do  indi- 
vidually, or  by  identifying  ourselves  with  other  organizations  which  have  that 
for  their  particular  work.  There  is  the  Consumers'  League,  and  all  those  other 
organizations  that  are  working  along  that  line.  We  are  organized  as  a  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association,  which  has  a  particular  line  of  work,  and  aren't 
we  having  all  that  we  can  do  to-day  to  organize  our  work,  just  as  a  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association? 

I  feel  that  anything  that  we  may  do  that  is  likely  to  be  misunderstood,  that 
might  take  us  into  difficulties  and  disputes  between  employer  and  employee,  might 
be  a  very  serious  matter.  The  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  have  studied 
this  question  very  thoroughly.  Five  years  ago  this  very  matter  came  up  in  that 
Association.  It  started  in  a  small  way,  and  they  felt  that  they  should  take  up 
the  matter.  Somebody  said,  "  But  that  is  not  what  we  were  organized  for ;  the 
other  aims  of  our  work  should  have  predominance."  But  finally  it  went  on  and 
the  National  Committee  of  that  Association  called  a  meeting  in  New  York,  and 
after  careful  consideration  it  was  decided  that  it  would  be  unwise,  and  that  they 
could  not  support  this  particular  line  of  social  service,  but  that  they  would  encour- 
age in  every  way  other  lines  of  social  service. 

Just  that  one  thing  I  do  think  is  a  very  serious  matter  for  us  to  take  into 
our  line  of  work.  I  think  that  we  should  study  this  question  most  carefully  and 
am  sure  that  we  want  to  show  our  sympathy  with  it,  but  that  we  should  do  that 
in  a  personal  way  and  not  as  an  organization. 

Miss  Clara  Greaves,  South  Carolina:  In  view  of  what  has  been  said  of  our 
cotton  mills  of  the  South,  I  feel  that  this  recommendation  refers  very  much  more 
to  the  city  work.  I  feel  that  those  who  know  anything  about  our  cotton  mill 
girls  of  the  South,  know  that  they  are  getting  a  very  good  wage,  that  they  are 
getting  a  living  wage,  and  that  in  many  cases  their  wage  is  equal,  and  occasion- 
ally in  excess  of  the  wage  of  the  school  teacher  in  the  South. 

Miss  Constance  MacCorkle,  Virginia:  I  think  we  are  neglecting  to  note 
the  emphasis  as  expressed  in  the  recommendation — "  that  the  Association  shall 
seek  to  educate  public  opinion,"  and  "that  the  Association  shall  declare  its  be- 
lief in  the  right  of  a  woman  over  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  good  health,  working 
a  full  day,  to  have  a  living  wage."     We  are  declaring  our  belief.     We  are  not 


Business  of  the  Convention  119 

proposing  a  matter  of  legislation;  we  are  simply  putting  ourselves  on  the  right 
side.  It  also  says  that  the  Association  "  hereby  expresses  its  sympathy  with  the 
great  purpose  of  securing  the  determination  by  law  of  a  minimum  living  wage 
for  women."  That  is  surely  our  problem.  "  That  the  Association,  while  en- 
deavoring to  improve  the  industrial  condition  of  the  working  girl  shall  point 
steadfastly  to  a  higher  standard  of  faithful  service."     That  is  our  business. 

In  every  direction  and  in  our  Travelers'  Aid  work  we  are  constantly  hav- 
ing to  protect  girls  and  save  girls  that  have  fallen,  because  of  the  low  wages, 
upon  which  it  was  not  possible  for  them  to  live.  I  think  this  is  the  most  vital 
recommendation  that  we  have  before  us  to-day.     (Applause.) 

Miss  Blanche  Geary,  New  York:  I  want  to  say  that  if  I  were  to  diagnose 
the  pulse  of  this  meeting  of  women  who  are  so  closely  in  touch  with  the  indus- 
trial girl,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  not  to  realize  a 
high  pulsation.  You  and  I,  at  all  events,  are  one,  in  this.  We  are  glad  and 
proud  of  the  privilege  of  oflEering,  through  these  recommendations,  the  hand  of 
fellowship  to  the  girls  whose  minds  and  bodies  are  starved  because  of  the  lack 
of  a  living  wage.     (Applause.) 

I  do  wish  that  we  might  all  realize  that  we  are  not  attempting  to  lay  down 
the  law  as  to  what  shall  or  shall  not  be  done.  We  are  heartily  in  accord  with 
Mrs.  Messer's  feeling,  that  it  is  for  us  individually,  to  put  forth  our  views  on 
this  subject,  and  to  realize  that  we  are  units  in  the  body  of  Christian  public 
opinion.  My  friends,  I  do  not  believe  there  is  any  force  in  the  land  that  will, 
in  the  long  run,  touch  the  question  of  a  living  wage,  as  will  the  Christian  public 
opinion  of  the  country.  And  surely,  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association 
should  be  in  the  vanguard  of  all  new  thought  on  the  part  of  Christian  public 
opinion.  (Applause.)  We  are  not  starting  out  on  something  that  is  new,  or 
on  a  new  line  of  thought  here.  The  Minimum  Living  Wage  Board  is  in  exist- 
ence in  New  Zealand,  for  women  as  well  as  for  men.  It  is  also  in  existence  in 
England.  Is  it  not  right,  and  are  we  not  justified  in  looking  forward  to  the 
establishment  of  some  such  board  in  the  United  States?  A  board  which  will  have 
the  consideration  of  the  rights  of  employers  as  well  as  those  of  employees?  But 
the  means  to  the  end  we  are  not  attempting  to  set  forth.  We  are,  however,  at- 
tempting to  set  ourselves  in  line  with  those  who  declare  that  an  end  to  the 
present  situation  is  needed. 

Miss  Florence  Simms,  New  York:  I  wish  to  say  that  the  nature  of  the  in- 
vestigation which  has  just  been  made  in  Chicago  concerning  the  condition  of  the 
working  girl,  points  out  the  close  relationship  between  the  wage  that  is  below 
a  living  wage,  and  the  white  slave  traffic.  I  think  that  we,  as  a  body  of  Christian 
women,  knowing  this  fact,  should  not  vote  against  this  recommendation,  and  still 
pray  that  prayer  which  we  are  taught  to  utter,  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth." 
We  have  no  right  to  pray  that  unless  we  shall,  at  the  same  time,  take  that  step 
which  will  put  us  on  the  side  of  justice  and  fair  play. 

If,  by  taking  such  a  stand,  we  are  excluded  from  some  factory,  we  do  not 
care  to  go  there.  What  we  want  to  do  is  to  be  a  factor  in  the  social  life  of  the 
girls,  which  influences  and  makes  the  individual.    We  want  to  be  a  force  in  their 


120  Third  Biennial  Convention 

social  life,  and  to  do  that  we  must  take  a  stand  for  the  thing  which  will  make 
for  justice  and  right;  we  must  be  a  force  to  shape  public  opinion,  which  shall, 
in  the  end,  give   us  justice   and   right. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  New  York:  May  I  speak  in  regard  to  the  analogy 
between  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  Young  Women's  Chris- 
tian Association?  This  resolution  is  introduced  on  the  ground  that  the  utterly 
inadequate  wages  paid  to  young  women,  not  only  hampered  their  development 
in  the  Christian  life,  but  the  white  slave  traffic  is  closely  connected  with  the 
idea  of  the  living  wage.  I  believe  that  is  our  unique  position.  We  are  speak- 
ing of  girls  and  young  women.  I  have  never  heard  the  low  wages  paid  to 
young  men  made  an  excuse  for  their  immorality.  (Applause.)  The  approach 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  to  the  young  women  in  industrial 
life,  is,  so  far  as  my  observation  and  experience  go,  slightly  different  from  that 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

We  shall  shortly  take  action  upon  Recommendation  XIII,  which  speaks  of 
doing  work  in  industrial  centers,  outside  of  the  factories,  under  the  direct  con- 
trol of  the  Association.  I  know  that  in  most  of  the  institutions  that  we  are 
now  visiting,  we  are  co-operating  with  the  employers;  but  if  any  of  the  employers 
wish  to  shut  the  door  against  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  we  may 
consider  the  fact  that  the  young  women  employees  do  not  reside  in  those  fac- 
tories, the  law  does  not  allow  them  to  be  on  the  premises  all  of  the  twenty-four 
hours  of  the  day,  and  we  still  have  a  means  of  approach  to  the  young  women 
who  live  in  that  community  and  have  social  and  church  relations  in  the  community, 
though  we  may  not  have  an  opportunity  to  approach  them  in  the  place  where 
they  are  working. 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha :  I  wanted  section  "  d  "  brought  out,  Madam 
Chairman. 

The  Chairman:  Owing  to  the  lateness  of  the  hour  I  must  ask  that  the  dis- 
cussion on  this  recommendation  be  closed  at  this  time. 

Dr.  Charlotte  J.  Baker,  San  Diego,  Cal.:  I  move  that  the  time  be  extended 
five  minutes,  for  the  further  discussion  of  the  recommendation. — Carried. 

Mrs.  L.  C.  Barnes,  New  York:  I  wish  to  say  one  word  in  behalf  of  the 
very  large  body  of  young  women  whose  interests  we  are  considering.  It  seems 
to  me  that  they  have  a  right  to  representation,  however  indirectly,  while  we  are 
discussing  this  question. 

A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  nearly  thirteen  thousand  wage  earning  young 
women,  in  a  single  occupation,  were  trying  to  secure  for  themselves  a  living 
wage  and  right  conditions  under  which  to  work,  in  New  York  City.  I  came 
in  contact  with  many  of  them,  day  by  day,  closely  enough  to  know  their  attitude. 
I  went  among  them  to  try  to  secure  their  interest  in  the  Young  Women's  Chris- 
tian Association,  during  that  time  of  their  idleness.  I  want  just  this  word  to 
be  appreciated  by  every  one  before  she  votes:  Not  one  of  those  young  women 
could  be  persuaded  that  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  cared  whether 
she  lived  or  died  in  the  streets,  and  our  offer  of  spiritual  help  to  them  was 
treated  with  scorn,  with  the  assertion  that  we  did  not  care  whether  or  not  they 


Business  of  the  Convention  121 

were  driven  to  the  depths  by  the  lack  of  a  living  wage.  They  claimed  that  we 
were  dealing  with  disembodied  spirits,  and  that  we  were  in  existence  for  spiritual 
help  alone. 

Mrs.  W.  p.  Harford,  Omaha:  I  want  to  state  that  I  am  in  entire  sympathy 
with  everything  that  has  been  said  here,  but  I  want  to  call  attention  to  section 
"  d,"  which  I  am  afraid  will  be  overlooked.  While  we  are  endeavoring  to  im- 
prove these  industrial  conditions  of  the  working  girls,  we  shall  point  steadfastly 
to  a  higher  standard  of  faithful  service,  that  will  be  commended  by  every  em- 
ployer, and  achieve  for  the  worker  justice  and  consideration  from  the  employer. 
(Applause.) 

Dr.  Charlote  J.  Baker,  California:  I  just  want  to  point  out  the  fact  that 
there  is  a  stumbling  block  in  the  path  of  Mrs.  Messer.  It  doesn't  do  any  good 
to  pass  resolutions  and  recommend  a  thing  that  we  wish  to  have  done,  or  call 
attention  to  evil  things  that  we  want  to  have  remedied,  if  we  go  no  further. 
The  only  way  to  remedy  them  is  by  legislation,  and  that  is  the  reason  this  com- 
mittee  put  this   into  the   recommendation. 

Miss  Ernestine  L.  Friedman,  New  York:  I  would  like  to  say,  in  behalf  of 
the  many  managers  whom  I  have  interviewed  this  fall,  and  with  whom  I  have 
talked  on  this  subject,  that  they  would  give  to  us  the  respect  which  they  have 
never  before  given  to  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  if  we  took  this 
stand.  Many  of  them  want  to  bring  about  the  right  conditions,  but  they  cannot, 
of  themselves,  do  an3rthing,  on  account  of  the  conditions  in  other  states.  But 
if  national  associations  like  ours,  take  a  stand  and  bring  about  the  right  public 
opinion,  all  of  them  will  have  to  come  up  to  the  standard,  and  they  will  be  glad 
to  do  so. 

Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Sweets,  St.  Louis:  I  think  that  eventually  it  will  come 
to  legislation,  but  there  is  a  step  that  has  to  be  taken  before  that  can  be  brought 
about,  and  in  the  South  there  is  a  peculiar  condition.  We  all  know  that  in  the 
South  there  is  one  thing  that  is  held  sacred,  and  that  is,  woman's  chastity,  and 
if  this  Association,  as  an  organization,  stands  as  against  the  white  slave  traffic, 
and  that  fact  can  be  pointed  out  to  these  men,  I  think  that  we  will  be  preparing 
the  ground  for  future  work.     (Applause.) 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  the  motion  prevailed,  and  Recommen- 
dation XII  (Recommendation  XIII  in  the  "  Blue  Book  ")  was  declared 
adopted,  as  was,  in  turn  Recommendation  XIII,  after  which  the  business 
session  of  the  Convention  adjourned  until  Monday  morning. 

After  the  singing  of  Hymn  No.  209,  "  We  May  Not  Climb  the  Heav- 
enly Steeps,"  the  Rev.  Prof.  John  Henry  Strong  led  the  devotional  service. 

Professor  Strong:  There  are  two  things  which  are  necessary,  if  we  are  to 
live  stable  and  efficient  Christian  lives.  We  must  first  fully  believe  that  God 
is  master  of  circumstance.  We  must,  secondly,  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  has 
actually  given  himself  to  us  to  be  the  center  and  the  principle  of  our  life.     If 


122  Third  Biennial  Convention 

we  can  believe  that  God  controls  the  outer  life,  and  if  we  can  believe  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  center  of  the  inner  life,  we  shall  be  equipped,  we  shall  be  efl5cient. 

I  spoke,  yesterday,  about  the  control  of  God  as  regards  circumstance  and 
detail,  whatever  that  detail  and  circumstance  may  be.  This  morning  I  would 
ask  that  we  make  the  subject  of  our  meditations  "Christ's  actual  gift  of  himself 
as  the  source  and  principle  of  our  inner  life,"  and  I  would  try  to  set  that  before 
you  in  two  aspects;  first,  that  Christ  gives  himself  to  us  as  an  ever-present 
Friend;  and  secondly,  that  Christ  gives  himself  to  us  as  an  indwelling  Savior. 

When  I  say  that  Christ  gives  himself  to  us  as  an  ever-present  friend,  I  say 
something  which  ought  to  bring  him  very  close  to  us  all,  for  there  is  no  one 
of  us,  I  am  sure,  who  does  not  have  a  friend,  some  one  to  whom  we  can  go 
at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  and  find  ever  the  same.  We  know 
this  also,  however,  that  not  all  people  lend  themselves  to  friendship.  Friends 
are  not  as  plentiful  as  blackberries  in  summer,  and  they  are  not  to  be  treated 
as  though  their  loss  could  readily  be  made  good.  Some  people  seem  to  live 
in  glass  cases.  They  think  and  work  and  perform  the  ordinary  acts  and  func- 
tions of  life;  we  have  no  doubt  whatever  but  that  they  are  human  beings  like 
ourselves;  and  yet,  all  the  time,  there  is  an  intangible  something  between  them 
and  ourselves,  so  that  our  lives  seem  never  to  touch  theirs,  and  theirs  seem  never 
to  touch  ours.  Some  people  seem  to  live  behind  stone  walls.  One  tosses  a  word 
over  and  gets  a  word  back,  but  that  is  the  end  of  it.  You  don't  toss  another 
word  over,  because  you  know  it  would  be  to  no  eflEect. 

Yet  I  have  not  described  all  the  world  when  I  have  said  this.  There  are 
some  who  have  a  wonderful  power  of  establishing  sympathetic  relations  be- 
tween themselves  and  others.  We  are  hardly  introduced  to  them,  we  barely  come 
into  their  presence  but  that  we  are  conscious  of  something,  an  atmosphere,  a 
mutual  understanding,  a  common  interest,  which  like  the  fundamental  note  of 
an  organ,  binds  together  all  that  is  said  and  done  into  a  beautiful  unity.  These 
are  those  who  allay  the  friction  of  life,  and  move  this  world  silently  onward. 
They  are  the  uncanonized  saints  of  the  world.  They  are  like  those  odors  that 
meet  us  out  on  some  sweet  country  road,  coming  we  know  not  whence,  but 
haunting  the   memory   ever   afterward. 

Now  I  have  long  believed  that  Jesus  Christ  was  such  a  person ;  that  he  had 
a  wonderful  power  of  establishing  sympathetic  relations  between  himself  and 
others,  so  that  people  never  came  into  his  presence,  provided  their  hearts  were 
free  from  radical  evil,  but  what  they  felt  wonderfully  at  home.  There  was  just 
one  explanation  for  this:  Jesus  Christ  gave  himself  to  men  as  had  never  been 
done  before,  and  he  did  this  because  he  saw  in  men,  and  made  the  object  of  his 
love,  what  had  never  been  seen  in  them  before. 

People  sometimes  say  that  love  is  blind.  Infatuation  is  blind,  passion  is 
blind,  but  love  has  eyes  to  see  that  which  love  alone  can  see;  and  Jesus  Christ 
loved  these  men  as  they  never  had  been  loved  before,  not  because  he  was  blind, 
but  because  he  saw  in  them  that  which  had  never  been  seen  there  before.  The 
really  great  men  of  this  world  have  always  been  men  who  have  had  a  deep 
feeling    for    the    essential    dignity    and    worth    of    our    human    nature.      Phillips 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  12 

Brooks  was  such  a  man.  Phillips  Brooks  once  said  that  he  could  not  look  into 
the  face  of  the  meanest  man  without  feelings  of  awe.  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ 
could  not  look  into  the  face  of  the  meanest  man  without  feelings  of  awe.  For 
just  as  you  go  into  a  friend's  house  and  take  from  the  mantelpiece  the  picture 
of  a  boy,  and  looking  upon  it,  say,  "  How  wonderfully  he  reminds  me  of  his 
father,  whom  I  used  to  know  years  ago,"  so  Jesus  never  looked  into  the  face 
of  the  meanest  man  but  what  he  saw  there  that  which  reminded  him  of  his 
father;  but  what  he  realized  anew  the  great  truth  that  man  is  made  in  the  image 
of  God,  that  in  his  veins  flows  the  blue  blood  of  heaven,  that  before  him  stretches 
the  endless  avenue  of  glory  if  only  radical  evil  can  be  taken  from  his  heart  and 
his  feet  set  in  the  path  of  a  free  and  fair  development. 

And  this  wonderful  insight  of  Jesus  into  the  worth  of  men  had  two  con- 
sequences of  which  I  would  speak.  In  the  first  place  it  enabled  him  to  look  over 
the  heads  of  all  those  accidents  of  birth  and  condition  which  arrest  the  attention 
of  men  in  their  estimate  of  one  another.  It  made  no  difference  to  Jesus  Christ 
what  clothes  a  man  wore;  it  made  no  difference  how  hard  his  hands  were  with 
toil;  it  made  no  difference  how  much  money  a  man  had  in  the  bank;  it  made 
no  difference  to  Jesus  Christ  who  a  man's  father  and  mother  were,  or  to  what 
social  clique  he  belonged  or  what  his  financial  prospects  were  in  life.  These 
things  never  yet  made  a  man.  They  may  make  that  incarnation  of  selfishness 
which  we  call  a  "  man  of  the  world,"  but  they  do  not  make  manhood.  Manhood 
is  made  of  other  things,  and  Jesus  looked  over  the  heads  of  all  these  things  until 
his  eyes  rested  upon  the  man  himself,  and  he  loved  him  for  what  he  saw  there. 

This  wonderful  insight  which  Jesus  had  into  men,  made  him  also  the  greatest 
champion  of  men  that  ever  lived.  You  have  been  championing  the  cause  of  the 
poor,  friendless  woman — what  a  champion  Jesus  was  of  men! 

Now  if  these  things  are  so,  what  it  must  have  meant  to  have  been  one  of 
the  inner  circle  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus!  I  have  seen  a  mother  go  into  a  dark- 
ened room,  with  her  hand  shielding  the  light  of  the  candle,  lest  it  fall  upon  the 
face  of  a  sleeping  child,  and  look  down  with  an  expression  of  ineffable  love; 
and  yet  I  suppose  no  mother  ever  loved  or  cared  for  her  child  as  Jesus  loved 
and  cared  for  those  men.  He  seems  to  have  cared  little  for  himself.  He  could 
trudge  the  dusty  roads  of  Judea,  or  Samaria,  and  Galilee,  and  all  aweary,  sit- 
ting by  a  well,  preach  one  of  the  most  wonderful  sermons  uttered  to  a  poor 
sinful  woman  who  came  there  to  draw  water.  At  one  time  his  brethren  actually 
thought  him  demented,  with  such  abandon  did  he  pour  out  his  love  and  power 
upon  a  multitude  that  pressed  into  the  house,  and  would  not  allow  him  even  to 
eat.  His  disciples  come  and  offer  him  food ;  but  he  replies,  "  I  have  meat  to 
eat  that  ye  know  not  of;  for  my  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  and 
to  finish  his  work." 

He  seems,  I  say,  to  have  cared  little  for  himself;  but  how  he  cared  for 
those  men!  Had  they  just  come  back  from  their  first  experience  of  preaching? 
I  remember  ray  first  such  experience.  I  saw  a  confused  mass  of  faces;  I  have 
very  little  idea  what  I  said,  and  I  imagine  no  one  else  has;  but  I  remember 
how  overstrained   and   weary  I  felt  when   I  came   home  and  found  my  father. 


124  Third  Biennial  Convention 

who  had  been  praying  for  me,  waiting  for  me,  and  I  think  I  can  understand 
to  some  extent  how  those  men  felt  as  they  came  back  from  their  first  experience 
of  healing  the  sick,  casting  out  demons,  and  preaching  the  good  news  of  the 
kingdom.  And  how  did  Jesus  meet  them?  With  a  whip  of  small  cords,  saying, 
"Go  back  to  your  work  and  when  I  want  you  I  will  send  for  you?"  No; 
but  with  the  words,  "Come  apart  and  rest  awhile;  come  over  on  the  other  side 
of  the  lake  and  cast  in  a  line  and  catch  a  fish."  Or  had  they  been  out  all  night 
fishing,  and  come  in  the  gray  of  the  morning  wet,  tired,  and  discouraged,  having 
taken  nothing?  It  was  to  find  Jesus  upon  the  shore,  saying,  "Children,  have  ye 
anything  to  eat  ? "  and  when  they  disembarked  from  their  boats  they  found  a 
fire,  and  upon  it  a  fish  laid  for  their  breakfast. 

And  if  he  cared  for  their  bodies,  how  he  cared  for  their  souls.  How  he 
watched  them  for  the  beginnings  of  evil.  How  he  taught  them  by  parable  and 
by  explicit  teachings.  How  he  warned  them  against  the  leaven  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees.  He  was  too  true  to  flatter  them,  he  was  too  kind  long  to  chide 
them.  To  Peter  he  must  needs  say,  "get  thee  behind  me,  Satan;"  to  James  and 
John,  "  Ye  know  not  what  spirit  ye  are  of."  And  so  he  was  able  to  say,  as  he 
looked  up  to  heaven  in  that  last  high-priestly  prayer,  "  Father,  while  I  was  with 
them  in  the  world,  I  kept  then  in  thy  name ;  "  And  one  of  his  disciples,  writing 
long  after  summed  his  life  up  in  these  words,  that  "  having  loved  his  own,  he 
loved  them  unto  the  end ;  "  which  has  come  to  mean  to  me  not  simply  that  he 
loved  them  to  the  end  of  time  but  that  he  loved  them  to  the  limit  of  all  pos- 
sible love. 

And  what  does  this  mean  to  us?  What,  but  this,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
same  friend.  No  one  need  go  through  life,  no  one  need  undertake  Christian 
work  alone  and  friendless,  so  long  as  Jesus  Christ  lives.  He  is  not  a  mere 
historical  character  who  lived  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  who  flashed  out  on 
that  dark  Judean  sky,  lighting  up  the  darkness  and  then  disappearing,  leaving 
it  all  the  darker  for  having  come;  he  is  a  great,  overshadowing  presence;  he 
is  a  great,  ever-present  friend.  I  hear  a  great  deal  nowadays  about  the  His- 
torical Christ.  I  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  Ideal  Christ.  I  hear  a  great  deal 
about  the  Theological  Christ.  But  why  do  I  hear  so  little  about  the  Living 
Christ,  who  is  with  us  always,  unto  the  end  of  the  world,  and  who  is  able  to  do 
for  us  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  can  ask  or  think? 

Jesus  Christ  is  our  ever-present  friend.  But  I  think  we  want  to  go  farther 
than  this.  I  should  like  to  set  him  forth,  also,  as  the  indwelling  principle  and 
power  of  our  lives,  shall  I  say,  as  the  indwelling  Savior? 

That  word  "  salvation  "  is  a  very  great  word.  When  I  think  of  salvation 
I  sometimes  think  of  a  great  city,  with  palaces  and  towers  and  minarets,  ap- 
proached by  a  dozen  different  roads,  and  by  whatever  road  you  approach,  you 
get  now  a  new  view  of  its  glory.  If  I  should  ask  a  dozen  people  what  they 
meant  by  salvation,  I  suspect  that  I  would  get  a  dozen  different  answers,  and 
every  one  of  those  answers  would  be  correct.  One  would  say,  "  Salvation  is 
getting  to  heaven."  Salvation  is  certainly  that;  and  I  never  feel  so  sure  of  it 
as  when  we  are  laying  aside  some  aged  servant  of  God,  who  has  fought  the  good 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  125 

fight  and  kept  the  faith  and  has  laid  his  armor  down,  and  as  his  last  remains 
are  lowered  into  the  tomb,  we  seem  to  stand  so  near  to  that  invisible  line  that 
divides  us  from  the  spiritual  world  that  it  almost  seems  as  though  the  wind  that 
blows  through  the  trees  by  the  side  of  the  river  of  life  would  waft  over  the  songs 
of  that  innumerable  multitude  which  he  has  so  recently  joined.  Yet  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  salvation  is  very  much  more  than  that. 

And  how  shall  I  set  it  before  you?  How  near  does  Jesus  Christ  actually 
come  to  our  lives?  How  closely  does  he  identify  himself  with  us?  Is  it  true, 
as  some  people  seem  to  hope  and  say,  that  he  is  actually  part  of  our  life  and 
that  we  are  actually  part  of  his?  It  would  seem  to  be  so,  from  his  own  words. 
Do  you  remember  that  allegory  of  his,  of  the  vine  and  the  branches?  "I  am 
the  true  vine  and  my  father  is  the  husbandman.  Every  branch  in  me  that  bear- 
eth  not  fruit,  he  taketh  away;  but  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit  he  purgeth 
it.  Now  are  ye  purged,  clean,  through  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you. 
Abide  in  me  and  I  in  you."  Does  Jesus  Christ  come  as  close  to  our  lives  as  the 
stock  is  to  the  branch?    Or  is  that  a  mere  figure?    Is  that  mere  allegory? 

There  seems  to  be  two  ideas  of  the  Christian  life  and  of  our  relation  to 
Christ.  One  idea  is  that  we  ourselves  are  separate,  independent;  that  the  whole 
strain  comes  on  our  will  and  obedience;  and  that  Christ  simply  helps  us  by  way 
of  example.  The  other  idea  of  the  Christian  life  represents  us  as  actually  and 
vitally  joined  to  Christ,  members  of  his  body,  receiving  from  him  constantly 
all  our  spiritual   life   and   power. 

If  we  could  only  get  hold  of  the  idea  that  there  is  one  life,  and  one  only; 
that  if  we  have  any  spiritual  life  at  all,  it  is  because  we  have  Christ.  There 
is  no  life  apart  from  Christ.  Life  is  an  abstraction  apart  from  the  person  who 
lives  the  life.  Is  there  any  life  of  a  seed  apart  from  the  seed  that  lives  that  life? 
And  so  there  is  no  life  of  Christ  apart  from  the  Christ  who  lives  it;  and  if  you 
live  the  life  of  Christ  at  all  it  is  because  you  have  Christ;  and  if  you  have  Christ 
you  have  all  of  Christ,  for  Christ  is  not  divided.  Oh,  if  we  could  only  grasp 
this,  that  our  only  great  problem  in  life  is  to  realize  this  relation  of  indissoluble 
oneness! 

I  remember  reading  of  a  poor  discouraged  evangelist  who  was  going  through 
the  fields,  utterly  disconsolate,  when  suddenly  the  words  of  Paul  occurred  to  him, 
"  When  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear."  From  that  moment  new  buoyancy, 
new  faith,  came  into  him.  "Our  life!"  No  wonder  there  was  something  uni- 
versal and  invincible  in  the  Apostle  Paul ;  and  there  will  be  something  invin- 
cible in  us  when  we  learn  that  Jesus  Christ  has  actually  given  himself  to  be 
the  center  and  principle  of  our  life.  And  if  we  believe  that  God  is  master  of  cir- 
cumstance and  that  Jesus  Christ  has  given  himself  to  be  the  source  and  the 
principle  of  our  spiritual  life,  then  our  problem  is  solved;  we  are  equipped  for 
life's  battle! 

Adjournment. 


126  Third  Biennial  Convention 

April  23,  191 1. 

The  Convention  met  on  Sunday  afternoon  in  special  session  for  Young 
Women,  at  Murat  Temple,  at  4  o'clock,  Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan  in  the  Chair. 

Music  was  rendered  by  a  chorus  choir  and  orchestra  from  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association,  and  by  a  quartette  choir  from  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Indianapolis.  Devotional  exercises  were  led  by 
Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton  of  London.  A  second  selection  of  music  was  rendered 
by  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  quartette. 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge,  in  an  informal  talk  to  girls,  spoke,  in  part,  as 
follows : 

Miss  Dodge:  Dear  friends:  it  is  a  joy  to  be  here  and  to  come  with  a 
message  of  joy,  but  it  is  hard  to  feel  that  we  are  not,  all  of  us,  ffirls.  I  do  like 
to  talk,  "we  girls";  I  like  to  feel  that  I  am  a  girl  myself,  and  that  I  am  privi- 
leged to  be  one  with  the  great  girlhood  of  this  world  of  ours.  The  last  time 
I  had  the  privilege  of  standing  before  a  group  of  women  as  large  as  this,  was 
in  Berlin,  where  we  had  thousands  and  thousands  of  girls  meeting  together  as 
fellow-sisters  to  learn  to  know  more  of  the  One  who  came  and  gave  himself 
for  us. 

What  is  it  to  be  one  of  and  belong  to  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation? Is  it  not  a  message  of  friendship,  a  message  of  fellowship,  a  message 
of  oneness?  Together  we  stand;  we  stand  to  help  each  other;  we  stand  to  serve 
each  other,  and  we  stand  to  love  each  other.  Oh,  friends,  what  is  it  to  love 
one  another?  That  thought  comes  to  me  over  and  over  again  when  1  think 
how  our  Father  in  Heaven  sent  his  Son  to  bring  to  us  a  message  of  love.  Dis- 
couraged, weary  girls,  especially  girls  with  all  their  great  problems  of  life, 
need  to  realize  what  life  should  mean  to  them,  what  they  should  mean  to  life. 
Last  night  we  had  a  wonderful  group  of  girls  from  fourteen  cities,  representing 
different  Associations,  meeting  to  show  how  they  studied  life,  how  they  grew 
stronger  and  happier  and  more  joyful  in  the  gymnasium.  In  one  of  their  songs 
there  was  this  line,  "  We  need  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association's  Na- 
tional Board  " — and  then  came  that  delightful  refrain — "  And  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  needs  us."  So  we  need  each  other;  we  need  help;  we  need 
inspiration ;  we  need  service  from  each  other. 

It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  all  so  far  away  from  me  there  in  the  audience, 
that  I  can't  talk  to  you  as  I  should  like.  I  should  love  to  meet  the  girls  up  in 
the  gallery  yonder  and  talk  with  them  upon  what  life  should  mean  to  them,  and 
of  what  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  can  give  to  them;  and  then  to 
say  to  them:  "You  must  give  us  more  than  we  give  to  you."  And  as  friends, 
together  we  must  all  stand;  and  fight  for  other  girls,  fight  for  those  who  are 
sadder  and  harder  in  their  lives. 

They  said  I  was  to  speak  in  an  informal  way  to  girls.  It  is  hard  to  speak 
in   an   informal   way  to   girls,  but,   if   I  could,   I  would  tell   you   of   some  of  my 


Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge  127 

girl  friends,  those  who  have  educated  me.  I  was  never  privileged  to  go  to  col- 
lege and  to  be  educated  as  to-day  young  women  feel  they  must  be,  but  I  started 
the  petty  responsibilities  of  life  when  I  was  very  young  and  learned  and  gained 
by  my  friends.  We  studied  life,  the  problems  of  life,  together,  they  helping  me 
much  more  than  I  could  help  them;  and  so  I  am  sure  if  I  could  be  in  the  midst 
of  my  dear  friends  up  there  in  the  gallery  they  would  help  me  and  bring  me 
inspiration. 

But  we  stand  together.  We  have  three  messages  that  mean  much  to  us: 
The  first  is  the  great  world  motto:  "Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  my 
spirit,  saith  the  Lord."  And  the  other:  "I  am  come  that  ye  might  have  life, 
and  give  to  you  the  fulness  of  life;  and  the  third  message  which  meant  to  some 
of  us  a  great  deal  this  past  year:  "I  am  the  light  of  the  world."  Thy  light  hath 
come;   walk  as  daughters,  as  sisters  of  light. 

Shall  we  not  then,  as  we  go  out  from  our  meetings,  from  all  the  inspiration 
of  having  been  together,  learn  what  it  means  to  carry  in  our  lives  that  glorious 
spirit  of  light,  the  glorious  spirit  of  love,  the  glorious  spirit  of  service,  and  shall 
we  not  strive — you  and  I,  we,  us,  all  of  us,  together — to  see  what  we  can  do  to 
make  the  world  better  and  stronger  so  that  the  earth  will  be  a  happier  place, 
not  only  for  us  but  for  our  fellow-sisters  in  every  part  of  the  world? 

Hymn  No.  139,  "  Walk  in  the  Light  "  was  sung  by  the  Convention, 
followed  by  music  rendered  by  the  quartette  choir  from  Second  Presbyterian 
Church. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Rev.  Edwin  H.  Hughes,  D.D.,  of 
San  Francisco,  Bishop  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

After  a  few  remarks  as  to  the  equal  worth  underlying  the  work  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association,  Bishop  Hughes  continued,  in  part,  as  follows: 

My  friends:  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  one  of  the  special  provinces 
of  the  Christian  Associations  was  to  make  religion  natural.  As  I  have  come  in 
contact  with  the  young  people  of  the  United  States  of  America,  one  of  the  funda- 
mental difficulties  that  we  have  to  meet  in  dealing  with  them  is  their  idea  that 
our  religion  is  not  quite  natural.  They  are  prone  to  consider  it  as  a  medicine 
rather  than  to  consider  it  as  a  food ;  and  there  is  a  vast  difference  lying  between 
those  two  conceptions.  Sometimes  the  word  "  natural "  is  used  as  opposed  to 
"  supernatural,"  or  "  human,"  and  we  speak  of  the  world  of  man  and  the  world 
of  Nature.  Then  again  it  is  used  as  opposed  to  "  artificial,"  and  we  speak  of 
the  "  natural  "  and  the  "  artificial."  But  one  of  the  most  frequent  contrasts  that 
we  make  in  the  use  of  the  word  "  natural "  is  with  the  word  "  spiritual."  That 
contrast  began  with  the  King  James  version  of  our  Bible.  We  have  in  that 
translation  this  passage:  "The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit 
of  God";   and  we  have  the  contrast  even  directly  made  in  one  passage  familiar 


128  Third  Biennial  Convention 

to  us  all:  "There  is  a  natural  body  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body";  and  it  may 
be  that  when  we  use  the  word  "  natural "  as  apparently  opposed  to  the  word 
"spiritual,"  we  conae  out  with  a  very  foolish  conception  that  since  the  spiritual 
is  not  natural  in  that  sense,  the  spiritual  is  therefore  unnatural. 

We  are  living  in  a  day  when  there  is  what  we  might  call  a  passion  for 
reality.  This  appears  as  a  recent  writer  of  some  note  has  pointed  out,  even 
in  the  slang  phrases  of  our  period.  We  talk  a  good  deal  about  "  the  real  thing," 
and  although  the  phrase  borders  somewhat  on  slang,  it  indicates  none  the  less 
one  of  the  characteristics  of  the  age  in  which  we  live — a  passion  for  reality, 
and  the  Christian  in  our  day  puts  himself  at  a  very  considerable  disadvantage  if 
he  seems  to  be  unnatural.  If  he  changes  the  tone  of  his  voice  when  he  begins 
to  speak  about  Jesus  Christ,  if  there  comes  anything  that  is  sepulchral  into  his 
voice,  or  anything  that  is  artificial  into  his  manner,  immediately  he  begins  to 
put  the  presumption  against  his  Lord  and  Master,  and  my  plea  to-day  shall 
be  a  very  simple  plea,  based  on  the  idea  that  when  a  man  is  religious  after 
the  order  of  Christ,  he  is  just  simply  a  man  at  his  best.  Jesus  Christ  didn't 
come  into  this  world  to  make  us  angels  here,  but  to  make  us  men  and  women 
at  our  very  best.  In  other  words,  he  did  not  come  to  make  us  unnatural,  but 
to  make  us  truly  natural.  We  see  this  when  we  come  to  study  the  terms  of 
the  religious  life. 

We  sometimes  feel  that  there  is  something  arbitrary  in  the  demands  that 
God  makes  upon  us,  and  wherever  that  notion  prevails,  God  is  at  a  great  disad- 
vantage in  moving  it  upon  our  spirits.  There  is  a  certain  line  of  Christian 
evidences  that  has  steadily  grown  on  me  all  through  the  years  of  my  ministry, 
the  marvellous  way  in  which  our  gospel  can  be  illustrated  by  real  life,  until 
again  and  again  I  have  said  to  myself,  it  is  just  simply  out  of  the  question  that 
Jesus  Christ  should  have  come  into  the  world  back  yonder  over  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  without  any  of  the  advantages  of  education,  as  we  speak  of 
education  in  our  day,  without  any  of  the  advantages  of  travel,  held  there  to  a 
little  province  not  quite  as  large  as  the  state  of  New  Hampshire,  and  away 
from  all  the  highways  upon  which  even  the  fastest  civilization  of  that  day  was 
making  its  mark,  and  that  he  could  have  brought  to  us  a  religion  whose  terms 
are  so  wonderfully  illustrated  by  all  of  the  real  factors  of  life  everywhere, 
unless  he  shows  that  real  life  is  in  harmony  with  the  infinite  purpose.  Let 
me  run  through  that  for  just  a  moment  with  you,  to  see  how  it  touches  us. 

If  you  hear  the  text,  "  Repent,  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand,"  you 
immediately  begin  to  feel  perhaps  that  something  is  being  demanded  of  you 
that  is  not  demanded  anywhere  else,  and  you  say:  "I  can  go  into  business 
places,  into  the  marts  of  trade,  into  social  circles,  to  school,  and  nobody  meets 
me  at  the  door  with  anything  that  resembles  the  word  '  repent.'  Yet  as  I 
approach  the  religious  life,  there  stands  a  solemn  preacher  with  that  word  that 
John  the  Baptist  used,  and  the  word  that  Jesus  used  so  often,  and  he  tells  me 
that  one  of  the  conditions  of  entering  religious  life  is  that  I  must  '  repent.^"  And 
immediately,  because  you  do  not  quite  think  the  thing  through,  you  begin  to 
think  that  the  religious  life  is  an  unnatural  one,  that  it  meets  you  right  at  the 


Bishop  Edwin  H.  Hughes  129 

start  with  an  artificial  demand.  Now,  see  whether  that  is  true  or  not.  Let 
me  use  the  simplest  sort  of  illustrations.  Here  is  a  man  who  is  living  in  a 
miserable  slianty,  the  fence  about  the  house  torn  down  and  neglected,  the  house 
itself  unpainted,  and  within  the  house  nothing  that  is  attractive  and  homelike. 
What  is  the  first  condition  that  must  be  met  in  that  man's  life  ere  he  will  be 
moved  to  obtain  a  better  house  for  himself?  Evidently,  the  first  thing  that 
that  man  must  do  must  be  to  become  sick  and  tired  of  the  miserable  shanty  in 
which  he  lives.  Here  is  a  man  doing  business  in  a  little  ten  by  ten  shop.  What 
is  the  first  thing  that  man  must  meet  as  an  inner  law  if  he  is  ever  going  to 
do  a  better  business?  Evidently  the  first  thing  is  to  become  sick  and  tired  of 
the  limitations  of  his  present  business,  and  as  long  as  he  is  not  and  does  not 
repent  of  his  poor  surroundings,  he  will  go  right  on  in  them.  Stand  in  the 
office  of  the  president  of  a  university.  What  is  the  first  law  you  must  meet 
if  you  are  going  to  acquire  an  education?  You  must  recognize  your  own 
ignorance,  and  you  will  never  get  an  education  unless  you  meet  a  certain  law 
of  repentance.  I  was  a  college  president  long  enough  to  learn  that  the  hardest 
pupil  to  teach  anything  to  is  the  pupil  who  thinks  he  knows  it  all  already;  but 
when  one  comes  into  the  office  with  a  virtual  confession  on  his  lips  that  he  is 
not  only  very  ignorant,  but  he  knows  he  is  very  ignorant,  immediately  you  know 
that  that  student  has  met  the  first  and  necessary  law  of  scholarship,  and  you 
can  do  something  with  him,  because  in  a  sense  he  is  repenting  himself  of  his 
intellectual  limitations. 

The  same  thing  is  true  with  reference  to  faith.  What  is  the  second  inner 
law  that  the  man  who  is  living  within  that  shanty  must  feel  moving  within 
himself?  The  second  inner  law  relates  to  a  certain  optimism  of  faith.  He 
must  not  only  be  sick  and  tired  of  the  shanty  he  has  lived  in,  but  he  must 
likewise  in  the  vision  of  his  own  heart  see  some  stately  building  arising  on 
the  highway  in  which  he  and  his  'family  directly  shall  take  up  their  residence. 
There  is  a  certain  element  of  faith  that  you  must  have  in  that  man's  life  ere 
he  is  going  to  move  from  his  shanty  into  a  more  comely  residence.  The  same 
thing  is  true  with  reference  to  business.  The  man  is  not  likely  to  leave  that 
little  shop  with  all  his  limited  opportunities  for  doing  business,  unless,  directly 
within  him,  he  has  a  vision  of  a  bigger  store  on  a  larger  street,  and  gets  a 
tremendous  faith  in  his  own  commercial  possibilities  and  in  the  opportunities 
that  the  city  itself  may  afford  to  him,  and  he  will  have  to  have  the  faith  there. 
And  when  the  young  man  goes  to  the  college  president  and  says  he  wants  an 
education,  and  expresses  first  of  all  a  sense  of  repentance  for  his  intellectual 
limitations,  he  then  has  likewise  a  vision  of  the  scholar  that  he  may  be,  so 
that  he  is  willing  to  plod  on  and  on  and  on  through  years,  because  he  believes 
in  his  own  intellectual  possibilities;  and  there  you  have  the  second  element, 
and  it  is  all  just  as  natural  as  possibly  can  be.  Whenever  in  any  realm  of 
life  you  can  do  something  that  corresponds  with  repentance  and  corresponds 
with  faith  together,  inevitably  and  invariably  you  have  conversion.  You  cannot 
help  it,  and  if  any  of  you  here  to-day  becomes  truly  sick  and  tired  of  sin, 
and,   in   addition   to   that,  comes  to   a   faith   in  your  own   possibilities   spiritually, 


130  Third  Biennial  Convention 

and  especially  a  faith  that  there  is  some  one  who  can  help  you  to  realize  your 
own  spiritual  possibilities,  why  you  cannot  help  being  converted. 

We  have  a  good  deal  to  say  about  service  and  self-sacrifice.  God  Almighty 
has  put  that  word  "  sacrifice "  at  the  gateway  of  every  single  one  of  his  king- 
doms, and  there  is  no  kingdom  in  this  world,  religious  distinctly,  intellectual 
distinctly  or  commercial  distinctly,  into  which  we  can  come  unless  we  meet  that 
law  of  sacrifice.  So  I  may  say  to  the  young  people  who  go  to  school,  it  will 
be  necessary  for  you  to  stay  in  a  room  and  study  while  the  birds  are  singing 
in  the  trees  outside,  and  the  smell  of  the  springtime  is  in  the  air,  with  its 
enticing  invitation  to  wander  in  the  woods  and  on  the  hillside,  and  when  a 
dozen  attractions  may  be  luring  you  forth  from  your  studies;  if  you  are  ever 
going  to  be  a  scholar,  it  is  an  absolutely  necessary  thing  that  you  deny  your- 
self  and  take   up   the  cross   of   learning   and   follow   learning  only. 

How  strange  it  is  that  when  that  law  of  sacrifice  is  really  everywhere,  none 
the  less  we  somehow  got  the  idea  that  it  applies  only  in  the  Christian  life;  the 
reason  we  get  that  idea  is  this:  we  become  in  love  with  learning,  and  what 
seemed  to  be  a  cross  before  becomes  a  glory.  We  become  in  love  with  business, 
and  what  seemed  to  be  a  cross  before  becomes  a  glory,  and  I  say  to  you,  my 
friends,  that  precisely  that  thing  is  true  in  the  religious  realm.  Whenever  we 
become  in  love  with  Jesus  Christ,  what  seemed  to  be  a  cross  becomes  a  glory, 
and  what  we  were  shrinking  from  a  while  ago  comes  to  us  with  the  glow  of 
a  glad  invitation,  until  like  our  Lord,  we  count  everything  that  is  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  glory  that  is  revealed  in  us. 

I  presume  that  some  of  you  will  say  "  I  am  not  quite  sure  of  the  orthodoxy 
of  what  you  are  saying.  Does  this  thing  agree  with  our  deeper  thought?  "  Yes, 
my  friends,  it  agrees  with  the  deeper  thought  of  everyone  of  us.  One  of  the 
most  suggestive  ways  of  getting  at  the  real  thinking  of  a  man  is  to  study  his 
phrases.  We  have  certain  phrases  that  we  use  every  day  that  give  us  a  real 
point  with  reference  to  this  particular  aspect  of  the  religious  life.  When  we 
see  some  one  who  has  become  very,  very  angry  and  excessively  brutal  in  his 
attitude  toward  the  world,  what  do  we  say?  Do  we  say  he  is  very  human;  very 
manly?  I  think  not.  Our  phrases  run  precisely  opposite.  We  say  that  he  is 
inhuman;  we  say  that  he  is  unmanly,  and  when  we  really  desire  to  pay  the  finest, 
simplest  tribute  we  can  pay  to  a  person,  we  are  very  apt  to  drop  all  our  ad- 
jectives and  adopt  the  language  in  one  of  Shakespeare's  plays,  "Julius  Caesar," 
where  Marc  Antony,  speaking  of  the  dead  man,  says: 

"His  life  was  gentle;  and  the  elements  so  mixed  in  him, 
that  nature  might  stand  up, 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  'This  ivas  a  man!'" 

which  is  the  general  assertion  that  this  man  had  somehow  reached  the  thing  for 
which  manhood  itself  stands.  Whenever  we  fall  into  the  natural  language  that 
has  been  affected  by  the  hearts  of  people  of  all  ages  and  generations,  we  arc 
very    apt   to    put    the    presumption   of   naturalness    in    favor    of    righteousness,    as 


Bishop  Edwin  H.  Hughes  131 

Jesus  Christ  reveals  righteousness  to  us,  and  that  same  thing  may  be  said  with 
reference  to  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  concerning  the   same  matter. 

Take  the  Old  Testament  and  follow  man  back  to  what  you  would  call  his 
only  natural  position,  as  it  is  revealed  to  us  in  the  Old  Book,  and  what  do  you, 
find?  You  must  go  back  beyond  the  Psalms  of  David;  back  beyond  the  Second 
Law ;  back  beyond  the  Exodus ;  back  beyond  the  Ten  Commandments ;  back  beyond 
the  faith  of  Abraham;  back  beyond  even  the  murder  of  Abel  by  his  brother, 
until  at  last  you  come  to  the  place  where  our  first  parents,  in  that  great  poem  in 
the  beginnings  of  the  Scripture  are  represented  as  in  natural  communion  with 
God;  the  language  couched  in  the  most  natural  terms,  "and  Adam  and  Eve 
talked  with  God  in  the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the  day,"  and  we  never  reach  a 
proper  naturalness  in  our  study  of  the  Old  Testament  until  we  come  precisely 
to  that  point. 

Much  the  same  thing  may  be  said,  only  it  is  put  in  a  somewhat  diflFerent 
aspect,  concerning  the  New  Testament.  Suppose  we  take  the  teachings  of  our 
Lord  and  Master,  as  he  himself  represented  the  particular  type  of  his  king- 
dom ;  what  do  we  discover  when  his  disciples  asked  him  who  should  be  the 
greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?  What  did  the  Lord  do?  Did  he  go  oflE 
and  take  some  specialist  in  the  religious  life,  some  man  who  had  been  repeat- 
ing the  psalms  and  songs  of  Israel  all  through  his  days,  until  at  last  there  was 
a  sort  of  holy  quaver  in  his  voice,  and  stand  this  man  in  the  presence  of  his 
disciples  and  say:  "This  man  is  the  greatest  in  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven?"  No. 
Did  he  go  and  take  some  woman  into  whose  face  there  had  come  a  heavenly 
loveliness  through  all  the  wrinkles  of  her  age,  matured  by  the  discipline  of  love 
and  life,  and  say:  "This  woman  is  the  model  of  the  kingdom?"  No;  he  took 
a  little  child  and  placed  the  little  child  in  the  midst  of  his  disciples  and  said: 
"  Except  ye  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  no  wise  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

In  other  words,  Jesus  took  human  life  in  its  freshest  and  most  natural  con- 
dition, and  made  human  life  in  its  natural  condition  the  type  of  his  normal 
kingdom,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that  in  our  experience  many  of  us  know  precisely 
what  that  means,  for  no  matter  what  may  be  our  view  of  theology,  when  it 
relates  to  the  early  stage  of  childhood,  we  have  only  to  review  our  own  ex- 
periences to  know  that  Tom  Hood  was  near  the  truth  in  the  poem  for  which 
he  is  most  widely  known :  "  I  remember,  I  remember,  the  house  where  I  was  born," 
and  then  directly  he  comes  to  say: 

"  I  remember,  I  remember. 
The  fir  trees  dark  and  high. 
I  used  to  think  their  slender  tops 
Were  close  against  the  sky. 
It  was  a  childish  ignorance; 
But  now  it's  little  joy 
To  know  I'm  further  off  from  heaven 
Than  when   I   was  a  boy." 


132  Third  Biennial  Convention 

I  should  like  to  send  forth  from  this  meeting  to-day  all  of  the  young  women, 
all  of  the  older  women,  who  are  here  but  do  not  profess  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 
and  who  are  not  endeavoring  to  love  and  serve  him  day  by  day,  with  this  idea: 
not  that  when  we  ask  you  to  love  and  serve  him  we  are  asking  you  to  do  some- 
thing artificial  and  unnatural,  but  that  when  you  do  not  love  and  serve  him 
you  have  not  come  really  to  the  life  that  is  deeply  genuine  and  that  has  the 
mark  of  the  highest  naturalness  all  over  its  features  and  its  products,  and  if 
we  can  put  that  conception  into  the  lives  of  our  young  people  everywhere,  the 
idea  that  Jesus  Christ  does  not  come  to  us  with  any  artificial  and  unnatural 
demand,  the  conception  that  we  entertained  back  yonder  in  the  fresh  and  dewy 
days  of  our  childhood  when  God  seemed  to  us  so  tremendously  near  and  so 
real  to  our  lives — if  we  can  get  that  conception,  it  seems  to  me  that  our  feet 
will  immediately  turn  toward  the  Father,  because,  indeed,  first  of  all,  we  have 
come  to  ourselves.  And  so,  let  me  ask  you  in  closing,  my  friends,  are  you  living 
the  life  for  which  God  Almighty  intended  you?  Are  your  feet  walking  along 
the  way  of  God's  choosing?  Is  your  life  in  harmony  with  the  infinite  purpose? 
If  not,  your  life  is  an  unnatural  life;  but  the  very  moment  that  your  feet  begin 
to  walk  in  God's  way;  the  very  moment  you  begin  to  see  the  wonderful  reason- 
ableness of  the  demands  that  Jesus  Christ  makes  on  your  life,  that  very  moment 
you  come  to  yourself;  that  very  moment  you  begin  to  lead  the  life  that  is  gen- 
uinely natural.     We  come  back  naturally  on  that  way. 

Grant  us,  O  Lord,  we  beseech  thee,  by  especial  grace  and  benediction  upon 
this  message,  to  see  how  foolish  we  have  been  in  our  thought  of  thyself!  How 
many  many  times  in  the  days  of  our  waywardness  did  we  think  of  thy  com- 
mands as  being  unnatural ;  yet  when  we  came  to  ourselves  how  truly  natural 
and  how  truly  blessed  we  found  them  to  be.  Oh,  God,  our  Father,  we  beseech 
thee  to  call  us  to-day  into  the  faith  of  thine  own  appointing.  May  we  see  the 
reasonableness  of  the  terms  that  thou  dost  impose,  and  with  glad  feet  may  we 
walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  for  Jesus'  sake,  Amen. 

Hymn  No.  i66,  "  I  Lay  my  Sins  on  Jesus,"  was  sung  by  the  Con- 
vention, 

Benediction. 

Monday  Morning 

At  9.30  o'clock  the  Convention  met,  pursuant  to  adjournment,  in  the 
First  Baptist  Church,  with  Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds  in  the  Chair.  Mrs. 
D.  M.  Pratt,  of  Cincinnati,  led  the  devotions. 

The  Chairman  then  asked  the  Committee  on  Resolutions  to  report. 

Mrs.  Labaree,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  read  to 
the  Convention,  the  Report  of  the  Committee,  as  follows: 

Whereas  we,  the  members  of  the  National  Board  and  delegates  of  the  Young 
Women's    Christian    Associations    of    the    United    States    of    America    in    Biennial 


Business  of  the  Convention  133 

Convention  assembled,  have  met  with  the  most  cordial   reception  in  the  city  of 
Indianapolis,   and   have   been   in    every   possible   way   aided   in   carrying   out   the 
purpose  for  which  we  have  assembled ; 
Therefore  be  it  resolved: 

I.  That  we  do  hereby  tender  our  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  officers  and  com- 
mittees and  members  of  the  local  Association  and  the  co-operating  Associations 
of  Indiana;  to  the  city  and  railroad  authorities  for  the  courtesies  extended  to 
the  Convention;  to  the  churches  and  institutions  which  have  so  hospitably  opened 
to  us  their  doors;  to  the  musicians;  to  the  representatives  of  the  Press;  to  the 
friends  who  have  made  the  delightful  outings  possible;  and  to  all  who  have  in 
any  way  assisted  to  make  this  Convention  successful   and  memorable. 

And  be  it  further  resolved: 

II.  That  we  express  our  deep  appreciation  to  the  members  of  the  fourteen 
Associations  who,  at  great  expenditure  of  time,  labor,  and  money  have  come 
long  distances  to  delight  and  instruct  us  with  their  gymnastic  exhibition. 

And  be  it  further  resolved: 

III.  That  we  express  our  gratitude  to  the  speakers  whose  words  have  in- 
spired us  and  spurred  to  action;  to  all  the  officers  of  the  Convention;  and  to 
those  whose  consecration  and  tireless  labors  for  months  past  have  made  this 
Convention  possible;  and  to  the  honored  President  of  our  National  Board,  whose 
devotion,  wisdom,  and  courage  have  guided  the  Association  through  these  crucial 
years  of  its  history. 

Be  it  further  resolved: 

IV.  That  we  heartily  thank  the  President  of  the  World's  Young  W^omen's 
Christian  Association,  and  those  who  have  come  to  us  from  other  lands  with 
messages  of  greeting  and  cheer,  and  that  we  ask  them  to  take  back  to  the  local 
and  national  Associations  which  they  represent,  our  warmest  greetings  and  cor- 
dial good  wishes.  Also  that  we  send  to  our  secretaries  now  in  the  foreign  field 
our  greetings  and  assurances  of  prayerful   remembrance. 

The  Convention,  by  a  rising  vote,  expressed  its  approval  of  the  reso- 
lutions submitted  by  the  committee. 

The  Committee  on  Credentials  not  being  ready  with  their  report  the 
Recommendations  which  were  carried  over  from  the  business  session  of 
Saturday  morning  were  taken  up. 

The  Chairman:  I  wish,  before  entering  on  this  business,  to  express  my  sorrow 
and  regret  that  Mrs.  Olney,  the  President  of  the  Convention,  is  ill,  and  still 
unable  to  be  with  us,  and  I  must,  therefore,  ask  your  indulgence  that  the 
second  Vice-President,  a  member  of  the  National  Board,  is  obliged  to  preside 
at  the  business  sessions. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  consideration  of  the  recommendations,  I  would 
like  to  call  your  attention  to  one  matter  in  connection  with  the  wording  of 
the   closing   phrase   in    clause   "  c,"   in    Recommendation   XII.      It   has   been    sug- 


134  Third  Biennial  Convention 

gested  that  the  phrasing  of  the  closing  words,  "  With  the  great  purpose  of 
securing  the  determination  by  law  of  the  minimum  living-wage  for  women," 
gives  them  a  technical  significance,  which  was  not  intended,  and  it  should  read, 
"With  the  great  purpose  of  securing  the  determination  of  a  minimum  living- 
wage  for  women."  If  there  is  no  objection,  we  will  instruct  the  secretary  to 
make  that  slight  change. 

We  will   now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  recommendations. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  XIV. 

Mrs.  C.  A.  Rawson,  Iowa,  moved  and  Mrs.  C.  C.  Rainwater,  St. 
Louis,  seconded  its  adoption. 

Miss  Louise  C.  Gerry,  Buffalo:  It  would  seem  that  this  resolution  is  so 
delightfully  simple  that  it  would  need  no  explanation.  I  think  that  some  of 
us  feel  that  we  have  a  very  large  field  and  a  very  great  opportunity  with  the 
girl  who  is  already  self  supporting,  and  the  desire,  I  am  quite  sure,  of  this 
Convention,  would  be  to  express  some  sense  of  heavy  responsibility  on  the 
part  of  the  girl  who  has  achieved  independence.  I  hope  that  this  recommenda- 
tion will  be  adopted,  and  that  the  delegates  will  return  home  with  the  deter- 
mination to  bring  before  the  wealthy  men  and  women  of  their  respective  towns, 
the  problem  of  the  proper  housing  accommodations  for  the  girl  who  is  earning 
from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  a  week,  in  order  that  she  may  have  the  background 
and  the  basis  of  a  Christian  home  life. 

The  question  being  put,  the  motion  prevailed,  and  Recommendation 
XIV  was  declared  adopted. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  XV. 

Mrs.  Cornelia  Souther,  St.  Louis,  moved  and  Miss  Mary  Porter, 
Charleston,  W.  Va.,  seconded  its  adoption. 

Miss  Mabel  Cratty,  New  York:  Our  Constitution  gives  an  ex  officio  vote  to 
the  members  of  the  National  Board  and  to  the  national  secretaries.  The  term 
"  national  secretaries,"  is  the  difficulty.  If  the  field  secretaries  of  the  board  are 
national  secretaries,  in  deed  and  in  truth,  as  we  have  been  saying  they  are, 
then  they  should  have  a  vote,  as  well  as  those  secretaries  who  are  resident  at 
headquarters.  Then  the  next  question  arises,  if  the  field  secretaries  have  an 
ex  officio  vote,  why  should  not  those  committees  which  employ  them,  have  an 
ex  officio  vote?  If  we  should  add  to  the  list  of  ex  officio  voters  already  pro- 
vided for  by  the  Constitution,  the  votes  of  the  territorial  secretaries  and  the 
members  of  the  territorial  committees,  we  would  have  an  ex  officio  vote  so  large 
that  it  could  control  the  Convention.    This  is  our  dilemma. 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  the  motion  prevailed,  and  Recom- 
mendation XV  was  declared  adopted. 


Business  of  the  Convention  135 

The  question  arose  as  to  how  the  Committee  provided  for  in  the  Rec- 
ommendation be  appointed.  It  was  moved  that  the  Nominating  Commit- 
tee appoint  that  committee  and  report  in  the  afternoon. 

The  Chairman  read  Recommendation  XVI. 

Its  adoption  was  moved  by  Mrs.  Henry  W.  Greene,  Philadelphia; 
seconded  by  Mrs.  F.  T.  Crouch,  Rochester. 

Miss  Emma  Hays,  New  York:  As  a  background  for  your  decision,  I  might 
point  out  some  objections  to  the  present  plan  of  holding  the  Biennial  National 
Convention.  In  the  first  place,  if  we  carry  out  the  policies  that  we  vote  in 
this  Convention,  it  will  surely  take  us  longer  than  two  years.  Of  course,  this 
recommendation  cannot  affect  the  next  Convention,  which  will  have  to  meet 
in  two  years,  but  considering  the  whole  matter,  it  seems  that  our  policies  could 
hardly  be  worked  out  sufficiently  in  two  years  to  justify  our  coming  together 
again  to  discuss  them.  In  the  second  place,  the  present  plan  involves  a  great 
expenditure  of  time  on  the  part  of  the  national  staff.  If  you  will  examine  this 
program  carefully,  you  will  realize  how  much  time  has  gone  into  its  prepara- 
tion, not  only  on  the  part  of  our  own  Department  of  Convention  and  Conferences 
and  the  secretaries  employed  there,  but  on  the  part  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
board  itself.  From  six  to  eight  secretaries  have  been  in  Indianapolis  from  one 
to  three  weeks  before  this  Convention,  assisting  the  local  convention  committees. 
Ought  we  to  do  that  every  two  years?  In  the  third  place,  it  involves  too 
great  an  expenditure  of  money.  If  you  consider  the  distances  from  which  our 
delegates  come,  if  you  realize  how  much  this  program  itself  costs,  you  will 
know  that  many  thousands  of  dollars  have  gone  into  this  Convention,  and  must 
always    go   into    a    National    Convention   in   order   to   make    it   a   success. 

I  would  also  point  out  that  this  is  a  legislative  body  and  that  the  inspira- 
tional and  educational  features  of  this  convention  would  not  be  entirely  elim- 
inated for  a  period  longer  than  two  years.  We  could  strengthen  these  features 
in  our  summer  conferences  and  in  our  educational  institutes,  and  try  to  meet 
the  demands  felt  in  that  way,  and  the  National  Body  could  come  together  at 
a  longer  interval   for  the  purpose  of  legislation. 

Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan,  Indianapolis:  I  want  to  say,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
committee  that  will  be  appointed,  that  the  inspiration  that  comes  to  the  city 
where  the  Convention  is  held,  is  a  very  great  help.  Nothing  could  come  to  us 
here  in  Indianapolis,  that  could  possibly  be  so  great  a  help  as  this  meeting, 
and  when  you  think  how  many  years  we  shall  have  to  wait  before  we  have 
another  Convention,  it  makes  us  feel  that  if  the  time  could  remain  two  years, 
it  would  be  well.  I  simply  say  this  to  show  how  the  cities  which  are  visited, 
feel  about  it. 

Mrs.  C.  C.  Rainwater,  St.  Louis:  I  would  like  to  speak  to  the  point,  Madam 
Chairman,  of  the  extension  of  time,  for  the  reason  that  in  the  different  territories 
we  are  obliged  to  have  a  great  many  conferences,  and  it  has  been  a  question 
in  my  mind  how  we  could  plan  for  those  conferences  that  are  necessary  in  the 


136  Third  Biennial  Convention 

territories,  in  order  not  to  conflict  with  the  National  Conference.  And  then 
there  are  the  sectional  conferences  that  have  to  be  held  in  the  diflFerent  terri- 
tories. It  is  a  wonder  to  me  how  we  are  going  to  get  them  all  in,  and  how 
we  are  going  to  get  money  to  send  our  delegates  to  all  the  conferences  that 
we  would  like  to  have  them  go  to. 

As  there  was  no  further  discussion  of  Recommendation  XVI,  it  was 
declared  adopted. 

In  the  matter  of  appointing  the  committee  Mrs.  W.  P.  Harford, 
Omaha,  moved  the  appointment  be  referred  to  the  Nominating  Committee. 
Mrs.  Cornelia  Souther,  St.  Louis,  seconding  the  motion. 

The  Chairman  put  the  question,  and  the  motion  prevailed.  The  reso- 
lutions, in  their  order,  having  been  considered  the  vote  upon  the  Recom- 
mendations as  a  whole  was  taken  up. 

Mrs.  Fred  M.  Gilbert,  New  York:  May  I  ask  that  we  may  have  a  little 
explanation  of  Recommendation  XVIII,  which  was  voted  upon  very  rapidly 
at  the  close  of  the  last  session  ?  It  involves  such  a  far-reaching  policy  that 
it  might  be  well   to  have   Miss  Simms,  or  some  one  else,   explain  it  to  us. 

Miss  Florence  Simms,  New  York:  The  point  in  this  is  that  in  planning  our 
industrial  work,  in  order  that  we  may  be  able  to  befriend  the  girl  at  her  every 
point  of  need,  as  was  suggested  at  our  meeting  last  Saturday,  it  seems  better 
that  the  Association  should  continue  its  work  independently.  That  is,  that  we 
shall  be  able  to  carry  on  our  work  in  an  independent  way,  looking  after  the 
interests  of  the  girls,  and  not  governed  altogether  by  the  wish  of  the  employer. 
We,  however,  solicit  the  help  of  the  employer,  and  we  wish  to  make  him  believe 
that  we  are  specialists  in  dealing  with  girls,  and  can  do  the  best  thing  for 
his  girls,  and  therefore,  ask  his  contributions  to  our  central  work,  that  we  may, 
in  our  independent  way,  plan  our  work  in  the  vicinity  of  his  industry,  where 
the  girls  can  come  to  us  and  we  can  help  them.  The  meaning  of  that  last 
part,  which  suggests  that  we  go  into  the  sections  where  industry  is  located, 
is  that  we  shall  come  in  closer  contact  with  the  girls  themselves.  Out  of  our 
two  millions  of  women  in  industry,  we  touch  a  little  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand.  The  point  is  that  we  have  got  to  do  something  to  come  in  greater 
and  larger  contact  with  girls  in  industry,  and  this  is  an  attempt  to  do  it. 

The  Recommendations  as  reported  and  discussed  as  a  whole  were 
then  adopted. 

Mrs.  Joseph  Stronge,  St.  Paul,  proposed  a  rising  vote  of  thanks  to 
the  unknown  friend,  or  friends,  who  have  made  it  possible  for  the  Associa- 
tion to  have  a  building  of  its  own  in  New  York  City.  The  motion  was 
carried  unanimously.     The   Chairman  expressed   the  hope  that  this  vote 


Business  of  the  Convention  137 

would  reach  the  ears  or  eyes  of  the  unknown  friends.     She  then  called  for 
the  report  of  the  Nominating  Committee, 

Miss  Elizabeth  Bruchholtz,  Secretary  of  the  Nominating  Committee, 
read  the  report  of  that  committee,  as  follows: 

REPORT   OF   THE    NOMINATING    COMMITTEE 

The  nominating  committee  recommends  the  ratification  of  appoint- 
ments by  the  National  Board  to  fill  vacancies  as  follows: 

Term  to  expire  in  1913, 

Mrs.  John  J.  McCook  to  take  the  place  of  Mrs.  Malcolm  D.  Whitman. 
Term  to  expire  in  191 5, 

Miss  Gertrude  MacArthur  to  take  the  place  of  Mrs.  John  J.  Burton. 

Mrs.  James  Pedersen  to  fill  the  place  of  Mrs.  Frank  North. 

The  committee  also  recommends  the  election  of  the  following  persons 
to  succeed  themselves: 

Term  to  expire  in  1917, 

Miss  Grace  H.  Dodge  Mrs.  Stephen  Baker 

Mrs.  William  W.  Rossiter  Mrs.  Edward  S.  Campbell 

Miss  Maude  Daeniker  Mrs.  Seabury  C.  Mastick 

According  to  the  Constitution  of  this  body  adopted  at  the  last  conven- 
tion only  resident  members  of  the  National  Board  may  be  elected  by  the 
delegates  in  convention.  The  non-resident  members  are  to  be  elected  by 
the  several  state  or  territorial  committees  to  serve  for  a  term  of  two  years 
and  shall  be  their  official  representatives  on  the  National  Board.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  provision,  this  committee  recommends  the  following  names 
of  resident  members  to  succeed  the  following  non-resident  members: 

Mrs.  S.  J.  Murtland to  succeed Mrs.  F.  L.  Durkee; 

Mrs.  Fred  M.  Gilbert to  succeed Mrs.  B.  T.  Vincent; 

Mrs,  Dave  Hennon  Morris to  succeed Mrs.  William  F.  Slocum; 

Mrs.  G.  K.  Swinburne to  succeed Mrs.  A.  McD.  Wilson. 

The  report  was  accepted,  and  the  report  of  the  Committee  on  Conven- 
tions was  called  for. 

Miss  Mabel  Cratty,  New  York:  The  other  day,  when  the  report  of  the 
Committee  on  the  Basis  for   Support,  was  being  presented,  I  felt  very  sure  that 


138  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  persons  who  sat  here  felt  that  in  some  sense  each  one  was  not  only  thinking 
for  herself,  but  trying  to  represent  her  constituency.  Now,  you  need  only  to  think 
for  yourself,  this  morning,  because  this  is  to  be  a  personal  pledge,  and  con- 
cerns no  one  but  yourself.  The  question  has  been  asked,  within  the  last  two 
or  three  days,  why  we  are  asking  for  a  pledge,  such  as  the  report  the  other  day 
implied?  Why  we  are  suggesting  that  the  field  help  in  the  equipment  of  the 
National  Headquarters,  and  then  coming  with  a  request  for  a  further  pledge? 

May  I  just  say  that  this  is  the  opportunity  of  every  person  in  this  company 
this  morning  to  make  her  personal  pledge.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  your  As- 
sociation. You  voted  the  other  day,  a  budget  for  the  support  of  this  work,  for 
the  next  two  years,  and  you  voted  it  very  much  more  expeditiously  than  could 
well  have  been  expected. 

I  can  only  speak  approximately,  but  in  round  numbers  we  shall  need  to 
have  fifty  thousand  dollars — which  are  not  yet  in  sight — before  the  end  of  the 
current  year,  for  the  work  of  the  headquarters,  and  for  the  work  of  the  terri- 
torial committees.  May  it  not  be  that  there  are  some,  or  that  there  is  one  in 
this  audience  who  may  find  it  possible,  and  who  may  be  glad  to  look  into  our 
finances  intimately  and  closely  enough — as  we  are  willing  to  inform  you  if  you 
will  ask — and  to  take  even  the  support  of  a  department?  And  may  there  not 
be  others  who  cannot  do  this,  but  who  may  be  able  to  take  the  support  of  a 
secretaryship?  whether  it  be  a  secretaryship  for  headquarters,  or  out  in  the 
field.  Or,  if  not  that,  may  there  not  be  some  who  may  begin  to-day  to  put  their 
shoulders  down  underneath  the  real  burden  of  this  budget  and  make  a  gift  of 
half   a   secretaryship,  or   a  quarter   of  a   secretaryship? 

Miss  Frances  Gage,  Seattle:  I  have  been  asked  whether  the  pledges  that 
have  been  already  made  to  the  territorial  work,  by  individuals,  are  to  be  dupli- 
cated  here? 

Miss  Cratty:  I  should  say  not. 

Miss  Gage:  So  that  anything  that  is  given  here  at  this  time,  is  in  addition 
to  that? 

Miss  Cratty:  Yes. 

Miss  Gage:  The  question  was  also  asked:  What  is  the  price  of  a  secre- 
taryship? 

Miss  Cratty:  That  varies.  In  our  office  we  will  call  a  secretary  if  two 
thousand  dollars  be  promised  for  two  or  three  years,  in  advance — that  is,  two 
thousand  annually. 

Miss  Gage:  Then,  if  anybody  wanted  to  do  something  toward  a  secretary- 
ship, could  the  location  of  the  secretary  be  indicated  by  the  person  giving? 

Miss  Cratty:  It  certainly  could. 

A  Delegate:  What  does  it  mean  to  support  a  department?  What  would 
be  the  cost  of  such  support? 

Miss  Cratty:  That  varies.  If  anyone  wants  figures  we  will  be  glad  to  fur- 
nish them. 

Miss  Anna  D.  Casler,  North  Carolina:  I  do  not  think  that  it  is  clear  in  the 
minds  of  some  of  the  delegates,  with  regard  to  pledges  at  territorial  conferences, 


Business  of  the  Convention  139 

and  at  this  Convention.  Is  it  understood  that  one  pledging  here  is  meeting  an 
obligation  toward  her  territorial  committee  budget,  through  this  pledge,  or  is  she 
expected  to  make  a  pledge  in  addition  to  that,  at  the  terriorial  convention? 

Miss  Cratty:  It  becomes  a  question  of  what  she  has  pledged  to.  If  she  wants 
to  pledge  something  to  territorial  work  and  nothing  to  the  national  work,  I  pre- 
sume she  should  wait  until   another  time. 

Miss  Casler:  She  is  at  liberty  to  do  both  if  she  wants  to? 

Miss  Crattst:  She  certainly  is.  You  can  pledge  for  what  you  want  to  give 
to,  this  morning.  Of  this  money  that  I  have  said  has  to  be  secured,  at  least  forty 
thousand  dollars  of  it  should  go  to  headquarters — four  fifths — from  the  point  of 
view  of   deficit. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Wilson,  New  York:  On  the  blank  there  is  no  statement 
as  to  where  the  money  is  to  go.  If  one  wishes  to  give  distinctly  to  territorial 
work,  she  might  just  state  on  her  card  that  her  pledge  is  for  a  certain  territory. 
But  if  no  statement  is  made,  of  what  department,  it  goes  to  the  general  admin- 
istration, doesn't  it? 

Miss  Cratty:  It  is  left  to  the  finance  department  of  the  National  Board 
to  decide. 

Miss  Wilson:  If  you  wish  to  give  to  the  secretarial  department,  you  will 
be  obliged  to  state  it  on  the  card. 

The  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Credentials  was  then  called  for. 
Miss  Barnes,  Secretary  of  the  Committee,  read  the  Report  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Credentials,  as  follows: 

The  credential  committee,  through  its  chairman,  Mrs.  H.  E.  Whit- 
aker,  of  Detroit,  presented  the  following  report,  which  was  accepted  by  the 
Convention. 

REPORT  OF    CREDENTIAL    COMMITTEE 

Members  of  World's  Committee   8 

Members  of   National  Board    25 

National    Secretaries    27 

Special  Workers  for  National  Board    5 

Secretaries  from  other  Countries: 

Canada    5 

France    i 

India    2 

Japan    i 

Student  Volunteer  Secretary   i 

Speakers    ^ 

Chairmen  of  Territorial  Committees   4 

Members  of  Territorial   Committees    14 

Territorial   Secretaries    20 

Chairman  of  State  Committees  3 


140  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Members  of  State  Committees   5 

State   Secretaries  9 

Members  of  County  Boards    2 

County   Secretaries   3 

Mill  Village  Secretary   i 

City: 

Presidents   of   Boards    42 

Members   of  Boards    96 

Members   of  Associations    57 

General    Secretaries   78 

Bible    Secretaries    g 

Extension    Secretaries    15 

Physical   Directors    23 

Travelers'  Aid  Secretaries   2 

Other   Secretaries    29 

Student: 

General   Secretaries   19 

Presidents  of  Student  Associations   19 

Members  of  Faculty   2 

Advisory  Board  Members   7 

Students   33 

Total  number  of  Voting  Delegates   562 

Total  number  of  Visiting  Delegates   557 

Total    number   Registered    1119 

The  Report  of  the  Committee  on  Credentials  was  accepted. 
The   Chairman   then   introduced   Prof.   Jeremiah  Jenks,   of   Cornell 
University. 

Professor  Jenks:  Madam  Chairman  and  Ladies:  A  little  while  before  the 
December  holidays,  a  lady  went  to  the  Division  Superintendent  of  the  Lehigh 
Valley  Railroad,  at  Ithaca,  and  said  that  a  young  girl  was  coming  to  spend 
the  Christmas  holidays  with  her  from  Springfield,  Massachusetts.  She  had  to  come 
to  New  York  City,  entering  the  Grand  Central  Station,  cross  the  city  to  Jersey 
City  and  take  the  Lehigh  Valley  railroad  for  Ithaca.  She  was  afraid  to  have 
the  young  girl  cross  the  city  alone  and  wanted  to  know  what  could  be  done. 
A  special  messenger  was  sent  from  the  Lehigh  Valley  ticket  office  in  New  York 
City  to  the  Grand  Central  Station,  to  escort  this  young  girl  across  the  city  and 
put  her  on  the  train  for  Ithaca. 

Some  two  or  three  weeks  later  an  old  gentleman  who  had  lived  some  forty 
years  before,  in  Ithaca,  came  back  to  visit  some  of  his  friends  of  bygone  days. 
He  was  an  old  man  from  the  country  districts  with  plenty  of  money.  He  needed 
to  go  from  Ithaca  to  some  point  on  Long  Island  to  attend  to  some  business,  and 
it  would   be  necessary  for  him  to  cross  New  York   City.     The  agent  knew  that 


Professor  Jeremiah  Jenks  141 

it  would  be  extremely  dangerous  for  this  old  gentleman  with  plenty  of  money, 
clearly  from  the  rural  districts,  to  cross  the  city  of  New  York  alone;  he  would 
certainly  be  the  victim  of  some  confidence  man.  So  again,  word  was  sent  to 
New  York  to  the  central  oflBce,  and  an  escort  was  sent  especially  to  take  this 
kindly,  but  innocent-minded  old  gentleman  across  the  city  of  New  York.  Men 
who  know  say  that  it  is  often  dangerous  for  innocent  people,  especially  girls  or 
young  women  to  cross  that  city  alone.  The  agent  at  Ithaca  did  not  know  that  there 
was  in  New  York  City  a  Travelers'  Aid  Society,  and  that  instead  of  sending  a 
special  messenger  from  the  central  office,  at  a  cost,  doubtless,  of  considerable 
time  and  some  money,  a  postal  card  might  have  secured  the  same  service  free. 

These  are  instances,  of  course,  where  no  very  especial  danger  was  apparently 
in  sight;  but  one  doesn't  know. 

Some  six  or  eight  months  ago  a  young  girl,  fifteen  years  of  age,  went  to 
London  to  enter  school.  Her  father  was  an  officer  in  the  English  army  in  India. 
She  was  to  be  met  at  the  terminal  station  by  her  uncle.  He  was  delayed  and 
came  on  a  later  train.  When  he  reached  the  station,  he  inquired  for  his  niece 
and  found  that  such  a  girl  had  arrived  at  the  station.  The  station  officials  knew 
that  she  had  been  there,  but  from  that  time  to  this  she  has  not  been  heard  of. 

About  the  same  time  two  young  girls,  daughters  of  a  German  pastor,  who 
were  studying  in  England,  and  who  had  been  there  for  two  years  before,  went 
to  London  to  enter  school  again.  They  were  to  be  met  at  the  station  by  an 
attendant  of  the  school.  He  was  not  there.  They  waited  a  few  moments.  A 
kindly  looking  gentleman  came  to  them  and  asked  about  their  trouble.  They 
told  him.  He  bowed  politely  and  went  away.  Five  minutes  afterwards  another 
man  came  hurrying  up,  said  that  he  was  a  new  servant  of  the  school  and  had 
come  to  take  them  to  their  destination.  They  went  with  him.  Five  weeks  after, 
when  their  parents  were  almost  frantic  with  grief,  not  knowing  what  had  be- 
come of  their  daughters,  the  older  girl  came  to  a  police  station  in  London,  said 
that  she  had  just  escaped  from  a  house  where  her  sister  and  she  had  been  im- 
prisoned, and  begged  for  the  rescue  of  her  sister.  The  police  went  immediately 
to  the  house,  but  it  had  been  hastily  abandoned ;  the  sister  was  gone  and  has 
never  since  been  heard  from. 

There  are  real  things  for  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  to  do.  The  danger 
is  great,  in  many  instances.  The  former  Commissioner  of  Police  in  New  York 
City,  General  Theodore  Bingham,  you  will  perhaps  recall,  some  little  time  ago 
published  in  one  of  the  popular  magazines,  a  statement  that  no  less  than  fifty 
thousand  girls  and  women  in  the  United  States  disappear  every  year — no  one 
knows  whither.  It  is  perfectly  certain  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  them 
are  simply  taken  prisoners;  others  disappear,  perhaps,  of  their  own  accord.  In 
many,  many  instances  they  go  into  a  life  of  shame.  When  General  Bingham 
was  asked,  two  or  three  months  ago,  whether  he  didn't  think  that  statement 
was  exaggerated,  he  replied  that  he  considered  it  a  very  conservative  estimate, 
based  on  his  experiences  of  some  years,  as  the  head  of  the  police  force  of  New 
York  City.  Those  estimates  have  been  justified  in  many  cases,  by  other  men  of 
similar  experience. 


142  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Now,  as  Mrs.  Goodnow  has  said,  in  writing  of  these  horrible  facts,  "  The 
work  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  touches  life,  the  throbbing,  pulsating  life 
that  is  always  near  to  tragedy.  It  has  to  deal  with  the  spectre  called  Vice,  that 
hovers  close  to  the  innocent,  the  unprotected,  and  the  defenseless." 

It  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  work  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society,  or 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  in  its  Travelers'  Aid  work,  is  not 
primarily — perhaps  not  at  all — rescue  work.  It  is  preventive  work.  What  are 
the  best  methods  by  which  it  can  be  carried  out?  The  usual  method  is  to 
provide  at  the  railway  stations  in  all  of  our  large  cities,  as  fast  as  this  work 
can  be  organized,  and  at  the  wharves  in  the  great  ports,  where  immigrants  are 
coming  from  Europe,  visiting  agents  who  meet  travelers,  and  give  to  them  what- 
ever assistance  they  can — necessary  information ;  escort,  free  of  charge,  to  board- 
ing houses  or  respectable  hotels;  or  across  the  city  to  put  them  on  their  trains. 
In  case  there  is  no  place  to  which  they  can  go  immediately,  to  take  them  to 
homes  provided  by  the  religious  denominations  to  which  they  belong,  or  by  the 
nationalities  of  which  they  are  members,  if  they  are  coming  from  abroad,  and 
give  to  them  any  and  all  kinds  of  assistance  needed.  In  order  that  the  work 
may  be  carried  on  most  successfully,  it  must,  of  course,  be  widely  known.  As 
your  honored  president  has  stated,  this  is,  perhaps,  the  chief  need  beyond  the 
present  work. 

I  wish  now  to  outline  briefly  the  main  plans  that  have  been  made  under  the 
direction  of  Miss  Dodge  for  New  York,  and  the  extension  of  the  work  by  Miss 
Mary  Potter,  with  suggestions  from  Mrs.  Goodnow,  regarding  publicity. 

In  the  first  place,  in  order  that  these  women  who  are  to  meet  the  travelers 
as  they  enter  the  stations,  may  do  their  work  eflfectivly,  they  must  be  easily 
recognized.  It  has  been  found  from  the  experience  in  New  York,  that  in  very 
many  cases  when  they  are  designated  only  by  a  special  badge,  and  that  a 
comparatively  small  one,  they  are  not  easily  seen.  When  one  enters  a  large 
station  where,  perhaps,  hundreds  of  trains  are  coming  and  going  every  day, 
it  is  not  easy  to  pick  out  a  person  unless  designated  by  a  badge  of  some  type 
that  can  be  easily  seen.  In  my  own  judgment  it  is  not  necessary  that  there 
should  be  a  special  uniform  worn,  but  there  should  be  a  broad  sash  or  a  band 
on  the  sleeve,  or  some  distinction  that  would  be  plain  enough,  so  that  there  could 
be  no  difficulty  whatever  in  determining  who  the  person  is.  A  timid  girl  coming 
from  the  country,  would  be  on  the  lookout  in  the  crowd,  and  would  say,  "  There 
is  my  friend;  I  will  be  safe  if  I  can  get  to  her." 

I  have  already  spoken  about  the  ignorance  of  the  official  of  the  Lehigh 
Valley  Railroad  of  the  work  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society.  I  have  spoken  to 
perhaps  fifty  people  with  reference  to  the  matter  and  I  have  yet  to  meet  one 
not  directly  connected  with  this  work  who  knew  anything  about  it.  One  or 
two  said,  "  I  think  I  received  a  few  months  ago  a  circular  letter  asking  for  a 
contribution  for  that  society;"  but  I  have  found  no  detailed  knowledge  on  the 
part  of  anyone.  It  is  very  desirable,  especially  in  the  country  districts,  that 
the  work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  or  the  work  of  the 
Travelers'  Aid  Society,  should   be  better  known.     Provision   has  been  made   that 


Professor  Jeremiah  Jenks  143 

in  the  railroad  stations  of  great  cities,  there  shall  be  placards  placed,  large 
enough  to  be  readily  seen,  and  written  in  such  a  way  that  people  will  want 
to  read  them.  For  example,  seeing  in  large  type  the  words,  "  When  Your  Daugh- 
ter Leaves  Home,"  people  will  want  to  know  what  that  means,  and  they  will 
go  and  read  and  find  out.  Such  placards  should  be  not  merely  in  the  central 
stations  of  great  cities,  but  in  the  small  country  villages  throughout  the  land. 
Those  placards  should  be  placed  in  rural  post  offices,  and  in  the  small  country 
stores,  so  that  it  shall  be  practically  impossible  for  any  person  who  has  intelli- 
gence enough  to  want  to  go  to  the  city — even  though  mistakenly  perhaps — not 
to  know  that  if  they  do  go,  they  will  be  able  to  find  there  a  friend. 

In  addition  to  having  attractive  placards  provided  and  distributed  through- 
out the  country,  arrangements  have  already  been  made  with  some  of  the  rail- 
roads, to  have  placed  beside  the  ticket  windows  little  leaflets,  as  they  are  now 
placed  by  the  Travelers'  Insurance  Company,  whereby  a  person  buying  a  ticket 
will  have  his  attention  called  to  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society. 

Again  it  is  desirable  that  people  shall  speak  directly  on  this  subject  in  the 
country  districts.  Arrangements  have  been  made  and  will  be  carried  out  in 
many  cases,  doubtless,  by  which  aid  societies  in  the  larger  cities  shall  send  letters 
to  the  pastors  of  all  churches,  of  every  denomination,  calling  their  attention  to 
the  terrible  dangers  awaiting  innocent  girls  coming  to  the  city,  and  asking 
them,  as  Christians,  as  men  who  are  interested  in  doing  good  work  for  human- 
ity, to  speak  to  their  parishioners,  to  speak  from  their  pulpits  on  these  great  ques- 
tions, perhaps  setting  aside  one  or  two  days  each  year  for  this  purpose.  In  such 
a  Christian  work  they  can  well  afford  to  give  at  least  one  Sunday.  They  should 
also  have  organized  in  their  church,  a  society,  or  have  some  existing  organization 
in  their  church  take  up  this  question  and  study  it,  and  see  what  the  social  condi- 
tions are  in  the  city,  that  girls  must  meet;  and  whether  the  conditions  in  the  cities 
are  such  that  country  girls  ought  to  go  there. 

One  of  the  chief  services  that  can  be  rendered,  in  ray  judgment,  is  to  in- 
form the  people  in  the  country  districts  as  to  the  conditions  in  the  cities,  in 
order  to  prevent  their  girls  from  coming;  but  if  they  must  come — and  many 
of  them  feel  that  they  must — then  inform  them  how  they  may  best  be  guarded 
when  they  reach  the  city. 

Mr,  Wanamaker  has  suggested  that  the  aid  societies  in  the  great  centers 
of  population,  that  send  out  these  circular  letters,  might  oflFer  to  send  an  agent 
to  any  locality  to  give  special  information  with  reference  to  how  the  work  can 
be  carried  on.  It  would  not  be  expensive,  and  this  agent  could  advise  the  peo- 
ple as  to  the  way  in  which  these  local  organizations  might  be  brought  together 
and  might  do  their  work  most  successfully. 

An  extremely  interesting  suggestion  came  to  me  from  one  of  the  railroad 
station  agents.  He  said  that  in  the  small  country  towns  no  one  stands  higher, 
socially,  as  a  rule,  than  does  the  station  agent.  Moreover,  the  station  agent  is 
well  acquainted  everjTvhere  and  he  would  in  many  cases  be  proud  to  be  the 
agent  of  a  great  state  organization  like  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society,  or  a  national 
organization,  if  one  should  later  be  formed.     He  suggested  that  it  would  be  well 


144  Third  Biennial  Convention 

for  the  societies  in  the  central  cities  to  provide  a  certificate  with  a  seal  and 
the  signature  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  the  state,  who  might 
be  the  president  of  the  society,  authorizing  the  local  ticket  agent  to  act  as  the 
agent  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society.  Then,  with  his  commission  duly  framed 
and  posted  in  the  ticket  office,  he  would  be  in  a  position,  when  any  person  came 
in  from  the  village,  going  to  the  city,  who  might  need  assistance,  to  call  attention 
to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  society  of  that  kind,  that  it  was  his  duty  to  give  them 
the  address,  and,  if  necessary,  to  send  a  letter  or  telegram  ahead,  saying  that  on 
such  a  train  there  would  arrive  a  passenger,  who  needed  the  services  of  the 
society.  I  think  the  suggestion  a  very  good  one,  and  those  of  you  who  are  to 
be  engaged  in  helping  this  work  along,  in  the  diflferent  localities,  might,  I  think, 
have  a  central  group  in  every  large  city,  authorized  to  appoint  local  agents, 
who  would  be  in  the  best  position  to  carry  on  this  work. 

A  second  thing  that  is  of  equal  importance,  perhaps,  with  publicity,  is  the 
closest  co-operation  in  this  work  between  the  diflferent  sections  of  the  country. 
A  girl  starting  from  New  York  to  Chicago,  or  from  Chicago  to  Indianapolis, 
should  be  thoroughly  safeguarded.  There  have  been  many,  many  cases  where 
an  immigrant  girl  has  been  placed  on  the  train  in  New  York,  and  no  one  ever 
knew  what  became  of  her  from  that  time  on.  She  has  never  been  heard  of 
since.  It  should  be  the  work  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society,  whenever  a  person 
in  its  care  is  to  be  sent  to  another  city  where  she  may  have  need  of  aid,  to  send 
a  telegram  ahead  notifying  its  agents  to  meet  her  when  she  reaches  her 
destination. 

Only  a  few  weeks  ago,  two  little  children,  aged  four  and  six,  were  being 
sent  from  New  Britain,  Conn.,  to  BuflFalo.  Merely  by  accident  they  were  picked 
up  in  the  station  In  New  York  City.  They  had  their  tickets  to  New  York,  but  not 
to  BuflFalo,  though  they  had  money  with  them  with  which  to  purchase  them.  The 
station  agent  called  the  attention  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  Agent  to  the  chil- 
dren. They  were  taken  in  charge,  their  tickets  bought ;  they  were  put  upon  the 
train;  the  agent  in  BuflFalo  was  notified  that  they  were  coming,  and  they  were  met 
In  that  city  and  delivered  to  their  mother.  Now,  without  some  such  assistance  as 
that,  there  are  people  who  are  bad  enough,  criminal  enough  to  have  taken 
advantage  of  those  children,  taken  their  money  from  them  and  left  them  stranded 
In  New  York. 

This  co-operation  is  extremely  desirable.  I  think  it  should  be  In  the  minds 
of  you  all  that  as  you  do  this  work  in  the  dIflFerent  localities  you  do  it  In  con- 
nection with  all  other  organizations  In  different  sections  of  the  country ;  that 
there  be   no  independent  work,   but  co-operative  work   everywhere. 

With  a  very  slight  expense  the  efficiency  of  the  work  can  be  greatly  increased, 
and  ultimately,  I  think,  there  will  be  In  the  United  States  a  central  federation 
of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Societies,  brought  together  at  the  Instance  of  the  different 
local  organizations,  and  they  will  so  federate  the  work  that  it  will  be  practically 
one  throughout  the  United  States — for  that  matter  throughout  the  world.  Even 
now  the  largest  societies  are  working  in  co-operation  with  those  in  London,  Paris, 
and  elsewhere ;   and  there  is   no   reason  why  that  organization  should  not  be   so 


Professor  Jeremiah  Jenks  145 

compact,  so  uniform,  that  practically  the  entire  world  will  come  within  the  scope 
of  this  Travelers'  Aid  Society. 

There  is  no  time  to  go  into  the  details  of  the  way  in  which  such  a  result 
as  that  can  be  brought  about,  but  the  larger  cities,  where  the  stronger  societies 
are  located,  should  take  the  lead,  should  prepare  the  best  literature,  giving 
illustrations,  showing  how  the  work  should  be  done,  in  order  that  it  may  be 
furnished  at  the  lowest  expense  to  local  societies  everywhere,  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  the  various  sections  of  the  country. 

What  are  the  principles  upon  which  such  co-operation  could  be  carried  out 
and  upon  which  such  work  should  be  done?  I  think  there  are  but  two  or 
three  that  need  be  mentioned.  In  the  first  place,  there  should  be  the  light  of 
knowledge.  Very,  very  few  of  us  know  anything  about  the  dangers  that  beset 
people  who  come  to  a  great  city.  How  few  of  us  even  who  live  in  the  great 
cities  themselves,  know  anything  about  it.  Had  there  not  been  forced  upon  me 
some  three  or  four  years  ago,  the  necessity  of  making  a  special  and  detailed 
study  of  the  conditions  of  vice  in  the  great  cities,  I  should  not  have  ever  dreamed 
of  the  things  that  are  happening  from  day  to  day  in  all  great  cities.  Not  one 
person  in  fifty,  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the  conditions  of  vice,  has  any 
idea  of  the  temptations  and  the  dangers  that  surround  young  girls  coming  to  the 
cities.  It  is  time  that  all  of  us  should  read  and  study  that  subject,  before  we 
allow  our  daughters  to  put  themselves  under  such  conditions. 

So,  first  let  there  be  knowledge  widely  distributed,  on  the  questions  that  con- 
cern the  Travelers'  Aid  Societies.  It  should  be  the  business  of  the  stronger  central 
bodies  to  prepare  information  that  shall   be  distributed  everywhere. 

In  the  second  place — and  to  my  mind  this  is,  in  many  instances,  of  even 
greater  importance,  because,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  it  is  the  chief  obstacle  that 
has  to  be  overcome  in  many  cases — a  fundamental  principle  is  that  of  Christian 
tolerance.  A  girl,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  is  equally  precious  in  the  sight  of  God, 
whether  she  be  white,  or  black,  or  brown ;  whether  she  is  a  graceful  Hindoo 
girl  with  her  shimmering  veil  and  her  glittering  armlets,  or  a  tiny  Buddhist 
from  Japan,  or  an  olive-tinted  Mohammedan  girl  from  Egypt  or  from  Turkey; 
or,  most  difficult  of  all,  perhaps,  in  many  cases,  for  us  to  meet  in  the  proper 
spirit,  because  we  know  them  better  and  are  more  familiar  with  them,  a  Jewess, 
or  a  Roman  Catholic.  They  are  all  equally  precious,  and  should  all  have 
equal  care. 

I  think,  however,  it  is  often  not  so  difficult  for  us  to  be  ready  to  care  for 
any  person  in  time  of  trouble,  even  though  that  person's  race  or  creed  may  be 
diflFerent  from  ours,  as  it  is  to  work  in  the  heartiest  co-operation  with  people 
who  differ  from  us  in  views.  You  know  that  in  the  larger  cities,  especially  in 
those  upon  the  coasts,  east  and  west,  there  are  many  immigrant  homes  to  which 
girls  of  different  creeds,  different  races  or  nationalities,  may  go  in  time  of  need, 
for  a  few  days.  It  should  be  the  work,  of  course,  of  the  Travelers'  Aid  So- 
cieties, whether  conducted  by  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  or  by 
others,  to  work  in  cordial  co-operation  with  all  these  homes.  A  Roman  Catholic 
girl   should    invariably    be    taken    to    a    Roman    Catholic   home.      A   Jewish    girl 


146  Third  Biennial  Convention 

should  be  taken  to  a  Jewish  home,  an  Austrian  girl  to  an  Austrian  home.  There 
should  be  no  effort  made  toward  religious  proselyting!  There  should  prevail 
the  spirit  of  humanity,  the  spirit  of  true  Christianity. 

And  further — there  must  be  not  merely  co-operation  so  far  as  the  different 
homes  are  concerned,  to  which  these  girls  may  be  taken  for  assistance,  but  there 
must  also  be  the  closest  co-operation  among  the  different  societies.  As  Miss 
Dodge  has  lately  said,  the  Jewish  Council  of  Women  is  already,  in  three  hun- 
dred places  in  the  United  States,  doing  this  Travelers'  Aid  work,  while  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  are  in  about  one  fourth  that  number. 
Now,  there  should  be  no  division  whatever;  they  should  all  work  together. 
There  is  an  opportunity  for  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  to  do 
one  of  the  best  pieces  of  Christian  work  by  taking  the  lead  in  bringing  about 
the  heartiest  and  closest  co-operation  between  Jewish  societies,  Roman  Catholic 
societies,  Protestant  societies  and  all  societies  of  whatever  nature  (applause) 
that  are  trying  to  do  this  Christian  work  for  the  girl,  whoever  she  may  be. 

I  believe  that  there  should  be  not  merely  separate  societies  in  the  great 
cities — especially  in  the  large  cities — but  there  should  be  in  smaller  cities  one 
society  with  representatives  from  these  different  organizations,  in  order  that  the 
work  may  be  most  efficiently  done. 

May  I  give  this  word  of  experience  that  we  had  in  New  York  a  little  while 
ago?  In  attempting  to  re-organize  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  to  strengthen  its 
work,  get  upon  the  board  men  whose  names  were  household  names  throughout 
the  country,  like  that  of  Mr.  Wanamaker,  and  the  president  of  the  Erie  rail- 
road, it  was  found  desirable  to  interest  some  of  the  most  influential  Roman 
Catholics  and  Jews.  I  went  to  Archbishop  Farley,  as  the  best  known  and 
most  influential  Roman  Catholic  in  New  York  City,  to  see  if  he  would  go  upon 
the  board  and  take  an  active  part  in  its  work.  He  told  me  that  he  wished  two 
or  three  days  to  consider  the  question.  He  had  no  doubt  whatever  as  to  the 
usefulness  of  the  work;  he,  himself,  was  already  more  or  less  actively  engaged 
in  it,  but  he  wanted  to  be  sure  as  to  the  right  method.  He  referred  me  to  Dr. 
McMahon,  the  superintendent  of  Catholic  charities  in  New  York,  suggested  that 
I  talk  the  matter  over  with  him,  and  said  that  he  would  give  a  decision,  himself, 
within  three  or  four  days.  I  went  to  Dr.  McMahon  and  laid  the  case  before 
him.  I  found  that  he  was  much  better  informed  with  reference  to  Travelers' 
Aid  Work,  than  I.  I  had  been  studying  it  for  a  month  or  so,  under  the  guidance 
of  your  honored  President — and  I  know  of  no  better  guide  in  such  matters — but 
I  felt  that  I  was  a  child  as  compared  with  Father  McMahon  and  his  knowledge 
of  such  work.  He  had  been  in  charitable  work  for  years.  That  had  been  his 
business.  He  told  me  that  the  Roman  Catholic  church  has  organized  Travelers' 
Aid  work  throughout  Europe,  among  Catholics.  He  said,  for  instance,  if  a 
girl  was  starting  from  Strassburg,  Germany,  or  some  city  in  Italy,  to  go  to 
Paris,  if  she  was  a  girl  of  the  poorer  type  she  would  speak  to  her  pastor,  he 
would  give  her  the  names  of  people  in  Paris  and  she  would  be  taken  care  of 
by  sisters,  upon  her  arrival.  He  showed  me  a  monthly  publication  in  Europe, 
representing  this  work.     He  said,   in   substance,   "  I,   myself,   feel  that  this  is  not 


Professor  Jeremiah  Jenks  147 

a  work  for  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  or  for  any  church,  alone.  It  is  a  great 
Christian  work  for  us  all.  Last  year,  at  the  International  Catholic  Charities 
Conference,  in  Washington,  a  delegate  came  from  Europe  asking  us  to  organize 
in  the  United  States,  a  Travelers'  Aid  Society  for  the  Roman  Catholic  church. 
Now,  we  are  a  conservative  people  and  we  did  not  organize  at  once,  but  we 
cjid  appoint  a  committee,  and  that  committee  is  now  studying  conditions  in  all 
of  the  great  cities  of  the  United  States.  They  are  to  report  at  our  next  meet- 
ing, as  to  whether  we  shall  organize  as  a  separate  church.  But  I  believe  this 
is  a  great  Christian  work,  and  in  consequence  I  shall  recommend  that  we  do 
not  organize  as  a  separate  society,  but  that  we  join  with  you  and  that  we  all 
go  together  in  making  this  a  general  Christian  work  in  New  York  City  and  in 
the  United  States."  (Applause.)  "And,"  he  added,  "I  shall  recommend  to  the 
archbishop,  that  he  go  on  your  board."  Archbishop  Farley  is  one  of  the  vice- 
presidents  of  the  New  York  Society,  now,  and  Father  McMahon  is  on  the  ex- 
ecutive committee,  and  there  is  no  more  eflBcient  member  than  he. 

Now,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  in  the  spirit  in  which  Father  McMahon  spoke 
that  we  must  all  go  ahead,  if  we  are  going  to  have  this  work  done  efficiently. 
It  is  for  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  I  think,  to  lead  in  this  work. 
In  many,  many  places,  of  course,  it  would  be  wise  for  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  to  do  this  work  alone.  The  conditions  are  such  that  they 
can  do  it  better  alone  in  some  instances.  In  many  other  places  they  will  probably 
find  that  it  would  be  wiser  not  to  take  it  up  as  an  independent  Christian  Asso- 
ciation work,  but  to  join  with  others,  even  under  the  leadership  of  others,  where 
the  others  have  started  first;  but  in  all  cases  it  should  be  their  business  to  see 
to  it  that  the  work  itself  is  carried  on  in  the  most  eflfective  way;  to  take  the 
lead  in  places  where  the  work  is  not  being  done,  and  see  that  it  is  properly 
carried  out.  In  so  doing,  in  my  judgment,  they  will  be  putting  the  Travelers' 
Aid   work   on   a  true   Christian   basis. 

And  the  third  principle  is  service,  loving  service.  Some  two  or  three  weeks 
ago  a  friend  of  mine,  a  woman  of  means,  who  at  home  has  servants,  not  merely 
to  care  for  her  housework,  but  to  wait  upon  her  personally,  was  at  her  country 
home.  She  found  that  across  the  road  there  was  a  farmer's  wife  with  a  sick 
child,  at  the  point  of  death,  a  woman  who  had  been  the  mother  of  thirteen 
children,  nine  still  living,  and  in  the  house  with  her  and  her  husband,  with  only 
a  daughter  twelve  years  of  age,  to  help  do  the  housework.  She  was  doing 
the  work  for  them  all,  with  the  sick  child,  that  she  had  to  carry  in  her  arms 
many  hours  a  day,  getting  only  three  or  four  hours'  sleep,  and  practically  at  the 
point  of  illness  herself,  unable  to  get  any  help. 

This  friend  of  mine  was  intending  to  go  back  to  the  city,  where  she  had 
guests  to  entertain,  but  when  she  learned  of  the  state  of  affairs  in  this  family, 
she  sent  word  to  her  guests  to  postpone  their  coming,  and  she  stayed  for  two 
days  with  this  farmer's  wife.  With  her  own  hands,  she  did  two  weeks'  washing 
for  this  family;  she  cooked  the  meals  and  served  them  herself,  although  it  was 
something  that  she  had  never  done  in  her  life  before,  excepting  as  she  had  (as 
every   good    housewife    should,    I    suppose)    learned    to    cook,    in    order   that    she 


148  Third  Biennial  Convention 

might  manage  her  house  more  efficiently.  At  the  expense  of  her  strength,  of  her 
feelings,  and  with  her  inexperience  she  did  this  work.  (Applause.)  But  what  is 
of  still  greater  consequence — what  appealed  to  the  farmer's  wife  more  than  having 
her  heavy  washing  done,  that  she  could  not  do  herself,  was  the  fact  that  here 
was  a  city  woman  of  wealth  who  recognized  her  as  a  sister,  and  who  was 
willing,  with  her  own  hands,  to  do  the  disagreeable  work  of  that  household. 

I  have  not  known,  in  the  last  ten  years,  another  example  of  purer  Chris- 
tianity than  that.  That  woman,  I  know,  is  in  some  doubt  as  to  whether  she 
is  a  Christian.  I  have  heard  her  express  doubts  on  the  matter.  She  is  not 
much  of  a  church  woman,  but  I  have  known  her,  when  she  discovered  that  an 
acquaintance  of  hers,  through  carelessness,  perhaps,  in  her  home  living,  had 
been  seized  by  the  demon  drink,  and  was  near  to  becoming  a  drunkard,  go  with 
that  woman  week  after  week  to  church,  telling  her  that  she  believed  that  the 
only  hope  for  her  was  in  the  strength  of  God,  and  that  she  wanted  her  to  get 
religion  in  order  to  save  her  from  drink.  And  still  she  doubts  whether  she  is 
a  Christian,  because  she  doesn't  go  to  church  very  regularly  and  hasn't  much 
faith  in  Christian  forms.  But  I,  myself,  believe  that  her  faith  and  work  and 
life  is  Christianity,  and  that  whatever  she  believes,  she  is  one  of  the  best  Chris- 
tians that  I  have  ever  known.  It  seems  to  me  that  in  that  spirit  of  service  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  has  to  go  into  its  work,  and  it  is  not 
for  it  to  inquire  who  it  is  helping,  but — Is  help  needed  ?  It  is  its  business  to 
take  up  this  Travelers'  Aid  work  in  the  spirit  of  tolerance  that  I  have  spoken 
of,  in  this  fundamental  spirit  of  service,  and  I  believe  that  by  so  doing  it  will 
find  that  the  work  will   be  a  great  success. 

We  should  not  forget  that  customs,  and,  to  a  very  great  extent,  even  morals 
are  matters  of  latitude  and  longitude.  I  suppose  that  a  dozen  times  within  the 
last  few  months  I  have  been  at  dinners  in  good  homes  where,  had  some  of 
my  Chinese  friends  of  ten  years  ago  been  present,  they  would  have  been  inex- 
pressibly shocked  at  what  they  saw  and  heard  at  those  respectable  dinners.  I 
mean  their  sense  of  decency  would  have  been  shocked.  But  then,  we  also  would 
be  equally  shocked  at  what  we  might  hear  and  see  at  a  Chinese  dinner.  And 
so  I  say  that  morals,  as  well  as  customs,  are  matters  of  latitude  and  longitude. 
But  Christianity  goes  further.  It  is  a  matter  of  service  to  our  fellow  men. 
I  hope  to  see  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  take  the  lead  as  no 
other  woman's  organization  can,  in  my  judgment,  take  the  lead  in  making  this 
Traveler's  Aid  work  what  it  ought  to  be — a  matter  of  Christian  service  in  the 
broadest  sense.      (Applause.) 

At  the  close  of  the  address  it  was  announced  that  Professor  Jenks 
would  answer  any  questions  on  the  subject. 

Mrs.  J.  S.  Jenckes,  Indianapolis:  I  would  like  to  ask  Professor  Jenks  what 
he  would  suggest  as  being  the  best  way  in  which  to  approach  the  railroad  officials 
with  reference  to  this  Travelers'  Aid  work? 


Business  of  the  Convention  149 

Professor  Jenks:  The  best  way  is  to  go  to  the  highest  ofRcial  that  is  available 
and  tell  him  the  story.  In  my  own  experience,  I  went  to  the  president  of  the 
New  York  Central  Railroad,  and  I  found  him  extremely  sympathetic  and  glad 
to  do  anything  that  he  could.  Another  person  interested  in  the  society  went 
to  the  president  of  the  Erie  road  in  New  York  City.  The  president  of  the 
Erie  road  was  the  one  who  made  the  suggestion  in  the  first  place,  that  we 
should  have  these  leaflets  by  the  side  of  the  ticket  windows,  and  he  said  that 
he  would  give  orders  himself,  to  every  station  agent  on  the  line,  to  put  boxes 
with  these  leaflets  in  them,  by  the  side  of  the  ticket  windows,  if  they  were  wanted. 
In  the  same  way,  others  went  to  the  manager  of  one  of  our  great  international 
steamship  companies,  with  the  best  results.  It  is  best  to  go  directly  to  the  one 
in  highest  authority,  tell  him  the  story,  and  show  him  that  it  is  for  the  benefit 
of  his  road  that  the  travelers  be  protected.  Even  our  railroad  officials  are  kindly 
men,  honest  men,  with  good  hearts,  and  when  they  know  of  the  work  they  are 
sympathetic  and  are  glad  to  help. 

Mrs.  J.  S.  JenCKEs,  Indianapolis:  We  have  not  been  able  to  get  the  permission 
of  the  oflScials  of  the  Union  Railway  Station  in  this  city,  to  allow  our  Travelers' 
Aid  Society  to  put  a  matron  there.  They  claim  that  they  have  their  own  em- 
ployees and  matrons  in  the  waiting  rooms  and  that  they  are  able  to  do  every- 
thing that  is  necessary  for  the  traveling  public.  They  don't  seem  to  want  anyone 
there  who  is  not  on  their  pay  roll,  and  they  are  not  willing  to  place  our  Travelers' 
Aid  matron  on  their  pay  roll. 

Professor  Jenks:  I  wonder  if  this  may  not  be  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
hearty  co-operation  with  people  who  are  not  themselves,  perhaps,  actively  en- 
gaged in  this  work,  but  who  surely  recognize  the  need  of  it,  because  they  have 
matrons  there  to  do  this  work.  I  wonder  if  it  would  not  be  possible  in  this 
case,  to  have  the  matron  who  is  paid  by  the  railroad  officials  here,  on  your 
board  of  helpers,  so  that  you  could  be  working  directly  with  her,  and  so  that 
she  would  be  referring  people  to  you  and  other  agents  in  the  city,  and  co-operate 
with  you  in  that  way? 

It  is  true  that  in  a  great  many  cases  the  railroads,  as  well  as  other  people 
in  authority,  are  afraid  to  have  outsiders  come  into  their  administrative  body, 
as  they  look  upon  it.  Now,  if  they  have  really  an  efficient  work  of  this  kind 
being  carried  on,  I  can  easily  see  how  they  might  feel  about  it;  but  I  should 
still  think  that  it  would  be  entirely  practicable  for  you  to  work  in  hearty  co- 
operation with  them  for  a  time,  and  the  problem  may  possibly  be  worked  out  in 
that  way.  If  that  work  is  done  efficiently  enough  now,  in  the  railway  station, 
I  would  suggest  that  you  devote  your  energies  pretty  largely  to  doing  work 
with  the  people  after  they  leave  the  railway  station,  taking  them  at  that  point, 
because  there  ought  to  be  a  good  deal  of  a  follow-up  system  in  such  work.  I 
simply  make  that  suggestion.     I  know  nothing  of  your  local  conditions. 

Mrs.  J.  S.  Jenckes,  Indianapolis:  I  wish  to  state  that  the  officials  in  the 
Traction  Station  have  allowed  us  to  have  a  Travelers'  Aid  matron  in  that 
station  for  the  past  two  years,  and  she  is  doing  most  excellent  work. 

Miss  Eva  Seevers,  Detroit:  In  a  certain  way  we  have  met  with  most  hearty 


150  Third  Biennial  Convention 

co-operation  from  the  railroad  companies.  The  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  has 
even  been  willing  to  pay  the  expenses  of  putting  up  posters  in  the  two  thousand 
stations  that  they  have  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  calling  attention  to  the  work 
of  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society. 

Professor  Jenks:  I  notice  that  they  are  putting  up  posters  in  the  state  of 
Michigan,  and  there  are  other  places  where  that  is  being  done.  I  would  like  to 
throw  out  the  suggestion  that  as  soon  as  we  can  obtain  hearty  co-operation 
throughout  the  country,  as  soon  as  we  can  get  this  federation  that  I  spoke  of, 
in  different  places,  it  will  add,  I  think,  to  the  efficiency  of  the  work,  if  there 
can  be  one  form  of  poster,  one  badge — one  general  form  throughout  the  country 
— so  that  anyone  recognizing  it  would  at  once  say,  "Travelers'  Aid,"  just  as  we 
now  say  "  Red  Cross." 

Mrs.  B.  W.  Labaree,  New  Britain,  Conn.:  I  want  to  ask  how  local  bodies. 
Christian  Associations,  or  otherwise,  can  connect  themselves  with  the  central 
bodies,  so  as  to  be   able   to  co-operate  with  them? 

Professor  Jenks:  From  New  Britain  you  will  find  it  easy  to  co-operate  with 
New  York  City,  or  Boston.  I  would  suggest  that  your  society  write  to  the 
Travelers'  Aid  Society  in  New  York.  You  can  easily  make  connection  with 
that  society,  although  that  is,  of  course,  local.  But  this  idea  of  a  federated 
society  is,  I  trust,  a  matter  of  the  immediate  future. 

Miss  Terry:  May  I  ask  if  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  proposes  to  take  up 
the  immigrant  problem,  or  will   that  be   left  to  the  Federal   authorities? 

Professor  Jenks:  I  have  said  nothing  about  the  immigrant,  except  incidentally, 
in  what  I  have  said  this  morning,  because  I  did  not  want  to  take  the  time  to 
discuss  that  subject.  I  think  that  the  time  may  come — and  that,  before  many 
years — when  the  Travelers'  Aid  Society  will  be  doing  this  work  so  efficiently  that 
the  Federal  government  will  be  glad  to  let  that  society  have  a  place  on  Ellis 
Island  in  New  York,  and  at  the  other  chief  immigration  stations,  and  it  will 
be  the  chief  agency  to  meet  the  immigrants  and  see  that  they  are  properly  dis- 
tributed. There  are,  at  present,  on  Ellis  Island,  and  in  the  other  great  immi- 
grant stations  of  the  country,  representatives  of  a  great  many  diflferent  homes, 
missionaries  representing  a  good  many  different  denominations.  There  are,  if  I 
recall  rightly,  something  like  thirty  or  forty  different  representatives  in  New 
York,  and  I  regret  that  there  is  often  more  or  less  unfriendly  feeling  and  bid- 
ding back  and  forth  for  the  immigrants  to  corae  to  their  homes.  From  very 
thoroughly  collected  evidence,  I  know,  too,  that  many  of  the  homes  are  not 
worthy  to  have  anyone  sent  to  them,  and  some  of  them  have  been  put  off  the 
island  by  the  Commissioner,  on  account  of  their  unworthiness.  I  think  the 
Federal  authorities  would  like  it  if  they  could  concentrate  this  responsibility  in 
the  hands  of  some  one  organization  that  they  could  trust.  But  that  would  be 
absolutely  out  of  the  question  as  long  as  there  was  any  doubt  whatever  as  to 
their  perfect  impartiality  among  the  different  races  and  nationalities,  and  creeds, 
everywhere. 

Mrs.  R.  M.  Piatt,  Wichita,  Kan.:  I  wish  to  ask  Professor  Jenks  if  he 
approves  and  advises  the  employing  as  the  Travelers'  Aid  matron,  of  a  deaconess, 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  151 

who  will  wear  the  deaconess  garb  and  be  easily  seen  throughout  the  station. 
We  are  working  in  connection  and  in  co-operation  with  the  Home  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  do  employ  a  deaconess  for 
our  work. 

Professor  Jenks:  In  a  number  of  places  I  know  that  deaconesses  have  been 
the  agents  for  doing  this  work.  In  my  judgment  that  is  a  very  wise  thing  to 
do,  wherever  it  is  convenient  for  it  to  be  done.  But  I  think  that  if  a  deaconess 
is  to  do  this  work,  she  ought  to  put  on  the  general  universal  badge  of  the 
Travelers'  Aid  Society  and  do  it  as  one  of  the  agents  of  that  Society.  Where  a 
city  is  large  enough  I  would  have  a  deaconess,  and  I  think  I  would  have  a 
Sister  and  I  would  have  a  Jewess  too.      (Applause.) 

Miss  Louise  W.  Brooks,  New  York  City:  The  Credential  Committee  wanted 
me  to  announce  that  they  neglected  to  state  in  their  Report  that  there  were  five 
visiting  delegates  from  Canada,  that  were  included  in  the  total  named.  (Applause.) 

Following  a  ten  minutes'  intermission,   the   Rev.  Prof.  John   Henry 
Strong  led  in  the  devotional  hour. 

Professor  Strong:  One  of  the  first  words  of  this  Convention  was  a  call  to 
prayer.  Shall  we  make  that  same  subject  of  prayer,  the  thought  of  our  last 
devotional  hour?  For  prayer  is  the  beginning,  middle  and  end  of  all  our 
work.  I  think  we  might  define  our  Christian  work  as  prayer,  and  all  that 
comes  out  of  prayer.  And  it  has  always  been  so  in  the  lives  of  those  who  have 
had  a  share  in  moving  this  great  world  heavenward.  Martin  Luther  once  said 
that  he  had  too  much  work  to  do  to  pray  less  than  three  hours  a  day.  When 
Hudson  Taylor  was  visiting  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon,  in  Boston,  Dr.  Gordon,  so  his 
son  Ernest  told  me,  felt  led  to  protest  with  Mr.  Taylor  on  the  ground  of  health, 
because  he  was  in  the  habit  of  rising  four  hours  before  breakfast  each  morning, 
to  spread  out  the  necessities  of  the  China  Inland  Mission  before  God  in  prayer. 
Now  what  is  there  in  prayer  that  fits  it  to  occupy  such  a  central  place  in  our 
lives?  What  is  there  in  that  which  so  often  seems  to  us  so  futile,  so  unrelated 
to  the  practical  life,  which  nevertheless  fits  it  to  hold  this  strategic  place  in  the 
Christian  life  and  work  of  the  world?  That  is  the  thought  which  I  wish  might 
occupy  our  attention  for  a  few  moments  this  morning.  And  I  shall  simply  give 
a  few  reasons  that  have  occurred  to  me  to  explain  this  central  place  of  prayer 
in   religious  life  and  work. 

To  begin  with,  prayer  is  central  in  religious  life  and  work,  because  it  makes 
the  Christian  willing  to  work.  How  often  unwillingness  stands  between  our- 
selves and  religious  duty.  I  have  seen  men  and  women  protesting  not  their 
duty  alone,  but  their  desire  to  take  up  Christian  work,  and  yet  stumbling  and 
staggering  before  some  great  mental  mountain  of  unwillingness.  I  have  seen  a 
man  on  his  knees  for  an  hour,  battling  with  himself.  I  was  not  battling  with 
him:  he  was  battling  with  himself;  until  at  last  that  mountain  was  plucked  up 
and  cast  into  the  depths  of  the  sea,  and  another  soul  was  added  to  the  ranks 
of  the   Master. 


152  Third  Biennial  Convention 

But  I  was  thinking  more  of  religious  work,  and  of  those  who  are  conscious 
within  themselves  of  an  indisposition  which  they  feel  in  duty  bound  to  acknowl- 
edge. "I  do  not  feel  drawn  to  religious  work,"  someone  says;  "I  do  not  care 
for  nieetings;  I  have  no  religious  experience  worth  contributing  to  others;  I  am 
never  in  a  position  to  speak  to  a  person  about  the  interests  of  his  soul.  I  know 
that  it  ought  not  to  be  so,  but  these  are  the  simple  facts  and  nothing  is  gained 
by  disguising  them." 

There  is  the  wonderful  word  of  Paul,  in  his  Letter  to  the  Philippians,  the 
second  chapter,  thirteenth  verse:  "Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling,  for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you,  both  to  will  and  to  work,  of  his 
good  pleasure."  Both  "  to  will "  and  "  to  work."  For  the  will,  the  impulse,  the 
initial  desire,  as  well  as  for  the  work,  the  accomplishment  of  that  desire,  we 
depend  upon  God.  God  is  the  only  one  who  ever  yet  made  a  Christian  worker. 
Men  hate  work,  fear  work,  shrink  from  work.  How  are  missionaries  made? 
They  have  to  be  thrust  forth.  How  are  settlement  workers  made?  It  is  the 
inspiration  of  the  spirit  of  God.  I  shall  never  forget  hearing  Commander  Booth, 
of  the  Salvation  Army,  tell  of  his  mother,  in  the  streets  of  London  at  night, 
crossing  the  street  amid  a  rain  of  sticks,  stones  and  rotten  vegetables,  and  ap- 
proaching a  group  of  abandoned  women,  throwing  her  arms  about  them  and 
pleading  with  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  He  said,  "  I  could  not  understand 
it,  I  could  not  understand  how  she  could  do  it;  until,  at  last,  I  remembered 
standing  outside  of  her  chamber  door  as  a  boy,  and  overhearing  her  praying 
God  that  he  would  fill  her  heart  with  the  same  love  for  the  lost  as  filled  the 
heart  of  Jesus  Christ  when  he  was  on  the  earth."  My  friends,  do  you  realize 
that  God  can  give  you  a  heart  for  Christian  work,  a  hunger  for  it,  a  great 
floodtide  of  his  own  love  for  it?  And  this  is  one  of  the  miracles  that  he  works 
in  prayer. 

And  then  prayer  is  central  in  religious  life  and  work  also,  because  it  clears 
the  mind  of  the  Christian  for  work.  And  when  I  say  that,  I  am  not  referring 
to  that  mental  development  which  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  results  of  prayer. 
A  cultivated  gentleman  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  once  told  n::e  that  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal means  of  his  intellectual  development  had  been  prayer.  And  prayer  re- 
quires powers  of  abstraction,  attention,  imagination,  responsiveness  and  expression, 
such  as  very  few  other  exercises  require;  so  that  it  may  be  wondered  whether 
any  development  compares  with  that  which  ensues  when  all  our  powers  are  en- 
listed and  illuminated  with  the  spirit  of  prayer.  And  yet  of  this  burnishing  of 
the  machinery  I  am  not  thinking  at  present,  but  rather  of  that  clearing  up  of 
the  whole  field  of  duty  which  is  one  of  the  results  of  prayer.  We  all  know  what 
the  thunderstorm  does  for  the  atmosphere  in  the  summertime.  It  clears  it.  Now, 
prayer  does  that  for  the  mind  of  the  Christian,  and  in  various  ways.  Prayer 
clears  the  mind  of  the  Christian,  by  taking  out  of  the  field  of  vision  things  which 
have  no  right  there;  for  example,  our  own  limitations.  What  right  has  the 
Christian  to  think  of  his  limitations?  Does  he  not  know  that  what  he  calls 
his  limitations  are  the  steel  that  encases  the  steam  that  propels  the  locomotive 
that  pulls  the  train?     Does  he  not  know  that  what  he  calls  his  limitations  are 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  153 

the  banks  which  make  Niagara  a  mighty  torrent  instead  of  a  muddy  morass? 
Does  he  not  know  that  this  little  bundle  of  strength  and  weakness  which  he 
calls  his  personality  is  able,  in  the  hands  of  God,  to  do  that  which  no  other 
personality  which  he  ever  created  can  possibly  do?  How  much  of  our  talk  about 
our  limitations  is  unfaithfulness  to  God  ?  If  God  be  with  us,  how  can  we 
possibly  fail?  Such  thoughts  as  these  come  to  us  in  prayer,  and  our  limitations 
vanish  as  they  should  out  of  sight. 

But  prayer  clears  the  mind  of  the  Christian  not  only  by  taking  out  of  the 
field  of  vision  things  which  have  no  right  there,  but  also  by  bringing  into  the  field 
of  vision  things  which  otherwise  we  should  not  see.  I  remember  a  few  years 
ago  standing  on  the  shores  of  St.  Mary's  Bay,  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  looking 
out  over  the  waters,  over  which  a  fog  had  descended,  touching  the  water  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  from  shore,  and  producing  the  impression  of  the  boundless 
sea.  But  suddenly  the  wind  arose  and  the  fog  was  lifted,  and  there,  within  easy 
reach,  lay  Digby  Neck,  with  its  red  banks  of  clay  and  its  receding  hills  of 
green.  And  so  in  the  life  of  the  Christian,  when  the  fog  has  settled  down  about 
him  and  there  is  nothing  in  sight  that  he  can  do,  suddenly,  in  the  sharp  stress 
of  prayer,  the  fog  is  lifted,  and  there,  within  easy  reach,  lies  some  opportunity, 
beautiful  and  green. 

I  remember  going  out  into  the  woods  one  morning  in  Nova  Scotia  for  a 
time  of  prayer.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  there  is  no  more  beautiful 
place  to  pray  in  than  the  woods.  The  trees  stand  so  silently,  they  bow  their 
heads  so  reverently,  as  one  draws  near  to  God  in  the  great  cathedral  of  the 
woods.  I  had  no  sooner  finished  my  prayer  than  I  looked  up  and  saw  a  man 
coming  through  the  trees.  He  was  leading  a  horse.  I  had  never  seen  him 
before.  We  talked  together  about  the  weather,  I  suppose.  We  talked  about  the 
woods.  Then  we  talked  about  religion.  He  was  not  a  Christian,  but  he  had 
long  wanted  to  be;  and  then  we  had  prayer  together;  and  now  there  were  two 
worshipers  in  the  great  cathedral  of  the  woods.  And  I  shall  never  forget  how 
that  man  wrung  my  hand  in  parting.  There  was  an  opportunity  that  had  been 
given  me  by  virtue  of  this  clarifying  power  of  prayer. 

But  prayer  clears  the  mind  of  the  Christian  not  only  by  taking  out  of  the 
field  of  vision  things  which  have  no  right  there,  and  by  bringing  into  the  field 
of  vision  things  which  otherwise  we  should  not  see,  but  also  by  enabling  us  to 
see  those  things  which  are  in  the  field  of  vision  as  they  really  are.  It  is  a 
question  whether  we  come  into  such  closeness  with  reality,  as  when  we  pray.  I 
was  speaking  on  this  subject  in  Buffalo  a  time  ago,  and  a  woman  came  up  to 
me  after  the  meeting  and  said,  "Mr.  Strong,  when  you  speak  on  this  subject 
again,  tell  the  people  that  prayer  gives  proportion  to  life."  That  is  just  what 
I  mean.  There  are  certain  things  in  the  background  of  your  life  which  ought  to 
be  in  the  foreground.  There  are  other  things  in  the  foreground  which  ought  to 
be  in  the  background.  The  whole  furniture  of  our  lives  needs  every  now  and 
then  to  be  completely  rearranged,  and  prayer  does  this.  It  is  in  prayer,  if  ever, 
that  we  confess  our  sins.  It  is  in  prayer,  if  ever,  that  we  allow  that  this  world, 
with   all   its   undeniably  great   attractions,  is   not  big  enough   to  fill  the  heart  of 


154  Third  Biennial  Convention 

a  child  of  God.  It  is  in  prayer  that  this  world  dwindles  away,  and  heaven  looms 
up  large,  and  a  father's  or  a  mother's  face  appears,  and  the  hills  from  whence 
comes  our  strength,  and  those  invisible  cords  are  knit  which  bind  us  to  all  that 
is  good  and  great;  and  if  we  only  remained  more  in  prayer,  how  strong  those 
cords  would  be ! 

But  prayer  is  central  in  religious  life  and  work,  also,  because  prayer  pro- 
duces upon  the  character,  those  subtle  and  indefinable  effects  which  issue  in 
vision  and  influence.  Vision  requires  a  sensitive  organ,  and  prayer  gives  sensi- 
tiveness. Prayer  gives  microscopic  power.  Prayer  also  gives  telescopic  power. 
How  many  servants  of  God  have  been  enabled  to  foresee  great  revivals, 
great  movements  of  God's  spirit  upon  the  face  of  humanity,  by  virtue  of  this 
telescopic  power  of  prayer?  I  do  not  see  how  anybody  who  knows  anything 
about  prayer,  can  doubt  the  fact  of  prophecy  in  the  Bible.  Men  prophesy  to-day. 
A  number  of  years  ago  my  father  was  speaking  with  Mr.  Bell,  of  telephone 
fame,  on  the  problem  of  telegraphing  to  ships  at  sea  without  a  medium,  at  a 
time  when  that  matter  was  so  undeveloped.  Mr.  Bell  reminded  my  father  of 
the  familiar  experiment  in  physics  by  which,  if  a  tuning  fork  be  set  vibrating 
in  one  corner  of  the  room,  another  tuning  fork  in  the  opposite  corner,  provided 
it  be  of  the  identical  pitch,  will  begin  vibrating  also.  It  is  simply  the  problem, 
he  said,  of  the  establishment  of  an  electric  sympathy.  Now  between  God  and 
the  Christian  there  is  no  intervening  distance.  In  him  we  live  and  move  and 
have  our  being.  How  is  it  possible,  then,  that  when  the  spirit  of  the  Christian 
is  brought  into  pitch  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  the  thoughts  of  God  should 
not  affect  the  thoughts  of  man?  We  talk  about  telepathy,  about  suggestion,  about 
thought-transference,  not  realizing,  sometimes,  that  we  may  be  laying  our  finger 
upon  the  fundamental  mystery  of  the  soul-life  of  this  universe.  What  God  re- 
quires is  a  leverage,  a  sympathetic  spirit,  before  he  can  impart  himself,  and 
that  leverage,  that  connecting  sympathy,  is  born  in  prayer. 

And  the  secret  of  vision  is  the  secret  of  influence.  Certain  it  is  that  in  some 
way,  directly  or  indirectly,  God  affects  the  whole  spirit  of  a  man  engaged  in  the 
sympathetic  act  of  prayer.  And  in  God's  power  to  affect  us  is  enwrapped  our 
power  to  affect  others.  In  that  influence  which  he  exerts  upon  us  in  the  sym- 
pathetic state  of  prayer  he  capacitates  us  to  exert  an  influence  identical  in  kind 
upon  others.  The  greatest  influences  in  this  world  are  not  to  be  defined.  They 
are  matters  of  spirit  and  atmosphere.  Everyone  carries  about  with  him  an 
atmosphere,  and  that  atmosphere  is  perhaps  the  most  powerful  influence  that  he 
exerts.  There  are  some  people  in  whose  presence  it  is  easy  to  be  good,  and 
there  are  some  in  whose  presence  it  is  hard  to  be  good.  There  are  some  people 
in  whose  presence  it  is  easy  to  believe,  and  there  are  others  in  whose  presence 
it  is  exceedingly  hard  to  believe.  Was  it  not  Marguerite  in  Faust  who  found 
that  she  could  not  pray  when  Mephistopheles  was  near?  My  friends,  you  and 
I  may  be  very  well-intentioned  Christians,  but  unless  we  have  that  subtle  spiritual 
aroma  about  us,  our  influence  for  Christianity  will  be  comparatively  insignificant. 
Prayer  produces  that,  because  in  prayer  we  touch  him  of  whom  it  is  written 
that  "  as  he  prayed  the  fashion   of   his  countenance   was   altered." 


The  Rev.  John  Henry  Strong  155 

Prayer  is  central  in  religious  life  and  work  also,  because  prayer  is  a  cause, 
prayer  is  a  power,  producing  the  efiFects  in  the  world  about  us.  It  is  a  great 
mistake  to  think  of  prayer  simply  as  a  subjective  spiritual  exercise,  having  whole- 
some reactionary  efiFects  upon  ourselves.  Prayer  is  a  cause,  prayer  is  a  power, 
producing  objective  results  in  the  world  about  us,  under  the  all-superintending 
providence  of  God. 

A  time  ago  I  picked  up  a  book  by  a  professor  in  Harvard  University,  entitled 
"  Reason  in  Religion."  He  had  a  chapter,  entitled  "  Prayer  and  Magic."  Prayer 
he  said,  is  simply  the  projection  of  our  wishes  against  the  clouds.  When  those 
wishes  happen  to  be  fulfilled,  we  call  it  answered  prayer.  When  they  do  not, 
we  call  it  submission  to  the  Almighty. 

That  is  not  worth  answering.  Men  do  not  speak  so  who  have  experience  in 
prayer,  and  know  the  results  of  prayer  in  the  development  of  Christiaii  move- 
ments and  in  the  life  of  the  individual. 

But  prayer  is  central  in  religious  life  and  work,  lastly,  because  it  is  the 
inexhaustible  fountain  of  energy,  hope  and  courage.  What  shall  a  man  do 
when  he  is  down  ?  Jesus  Christ  says.  Let  him  pray.  I  have  seen  times  in  my 
religious  life  when  I  have  gone  out  into  the  woods  and  cast  myself  upon  the 
ground  and  told  the  Lord  that  I  would  not  leave  that  place  until  he  gave  me 
help ;  and  sometimes  it  seemed  as  though  not  five  minutes  had  elapsed  until 
my  mouth  was  filled  with  singing,  and  I  was  leaving  the  place  with  my  feet 
hardly  touching  the  ground,  to  knock  on  doors  that  opened  to  me,  and  make 
appeals  which  I  never  would  have  had  courage  to  make  before.  This  is  why 
Jesus  spent  whole  nights  upon  the  mountain  side  in  prayer,  because  he  knew 
that  "  they  that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength.  They  shall  mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles.  They  shall  run  and  not  be  weary.  They  shall  walk 
and  not  faint" 

Adjournment. 

Monday  Afternoon 

At  2.30  in  the  afternoon  the  Convention  met  pursuant  to  adjourn- 
ment, with  Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds  in  the  Chair. 

Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  A.  B.  Philputt,  pastor  of  the  Central  Chris- 
tian Church,  of  Indianapolis. 

The  Chairman  then  received  the  report  of  the  Nominating  Committee 
on  the  appointment  of  certain  committees. 

The  report  was  read  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Bruchholz,  Secretary  of  the 
Nominating  Committee,  as  follows: 

( I )   On  the  committee  to  consider  the  question  of  an  amendment  to 
the  constitution  in  relation  to  the  ex-officio  vote  in  the  Biennial  Convention : 


156  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Chairman,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Thompson,  Portland,  Me, 

Miss   Lida    S.   Penfield,    Scranton,   Pa. 

Mrs.  Winfield  S.   Freeman,   Kansas  City,  Kan. 

Mrs.  T.  S.  Lippy,  Seattle,  Wash. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Preston  Allan,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

Miss  Mildred  Rutherford,  Athens,  Ga. 

(2)   On  the  committee  to  consider  the  question  of  an  amendment  to 
the  constitution  regarding  the  extension  of  time  between  conventions: 

Chairman,  Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Slocum,  Colorado  Springs,  Colo. 

Miss    Gertrude    E.    MacArthur,   New   York. 

Mrs.  C.  C.  Rainwater,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Mrs.  Frank  S.  Wallace,  Pasadena,  Calif. 

Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

Miss   Maude   Corbett,   Minneapolis,   Minn. 

The  report  of  the  Nominating  Committee  was  accepted,  and  the  com- 
mittees appointed,  as  named. 

Miss  Annie  M.  Reynolds,  Chairman:  At  the  close  of  my  duties  as  Chairman 
of  the  business  sessions  of  this  Convention,  I  beg  the  privilege  of  thanking  you 
all  who  have  poured  so  much  of  the  oil  of  courtesy  and  sympathetic  co-operation 
on  the  somewhat  creaking  inefficiencies  of  your  Chairman.      (Applause.) 

Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan,  Vice-President,  assumed  the  Chair. 

The  Chairman:  This  is  the  time  when  we  turn  our  eyes  away  from  our 
own  land,  to  consider  the  work  being  done  among  other  nations.  And  we  truly 
congratulate  ourselves  that  we  have  with  us  the  World's  President,  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Associations.  We  are  going  to  ask  her  to  preside  and  to 
introduce  the  different  speakers.     Will  you  receive  her  standing  as  she  comes? 

Mrs.  J.  H.  Tritton,  of  London,  President  of  the  World's  Young 
Women's   Christian   Association,   assumed   the   chair. 

As  Mrs.  Tritton  took  her  seat,  Miss  Helen  Salisbury,  of  Los  Angeles, 
came  forward  and  presented  to  her  a  magnificent  bouquet  of  American 
Beauty  roses,  tied  with  ribbon  whose  color  is  named  for  the  hue  of  the 
flowers.  On  the  streamers  of  the  ribbon  was  gold  lettering  recording  the 
occasion  and  nature  of  the  presentation,  and  with  the  flowers  was  oiifered 
an  American  flag,  both  being  tendered  with  words  fittingly  expressing  the 
spirit  that  dictated  the  gift. 


Miss  Ethel  Stevenson  157 

Mrs.  Tritton's  words  of  acceptance  showed  earnest  feeling  and  appre- 
ciation. Her  administrative  duties  were  preceded  by  her  request  that  a 
message  of  greeting  be  sent  from  the  Convention  to  Mrs.  Gladding  who 
was  unable  to  preside  or  to  be  present  at  this  session;  then  a  few  minutes 
for  silent  prayer  were  asked  for.  At  the  close  of  this  short  period  the 
Chairman  took  up  the  business  of  the  day  by  calling  on  Miss  Ethel  Steven- 
son, of  London,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the  World's  Committee,  to 
speak  on  "  The  World's  Committee  as  a  Pioneer  and  Unifying  Force." 

Miss  Ethel  Stevenson:  A  very  interesting  part  of  the  work  of  the  World's 
Committee  is  the  development  of  the  Association  v?ork  among  different  nations, 
not  only  in  accordance  with  Association  principles  but  also  according  to  national 
characteristics.  Sometimes  countries  appeal  direct  for  help  to  the  World's  Com- 
mittee, sometimes  the  need  of  the  country  is  felt  by  some  member  of  the  committee. 
However,  the  need  is  brought,  it  is  considered,  investigation  follows,  by  corre- 
spondence with  those  already  interested  in  the  country  or  by  visits  of  the  general 
secretary  or  other  secretaries. 

Russia  is  an  instance  of  the  need  being  felt  by  the  World's  Committee.  Some 
members  had  been  praying  especially  for  that  country.  One  or  two  had  visited 
it  unoflScially  and  had  brought  back  reports  of  the  great  need,  and  a  little  over 
two  years  ago.  Miss  Spencer,  accompanied  by  the  Honorable  Mrs.  Fraser  paid  a 
visit  to  that  country.  They  found  a  very  mixed  population  in  some  of  the  big 
cities  and  very  difficult  conditions.  An  excellent  work  was  and  is  being  done 
for  Protestant  girls  in  St.  Petersburg.  But  those  who  work  among  the  Russian 
Protestants  could  not  work  among  the  Russians  belonging  to  the  Greek  Church. 
For  in  Russia  law  declares  your  church  membership.  Long  ago  when  Peter 
the  Great  founded  St.  Petersburg  he  induced  a  large  number  of  Germans  living 
on  the  border  of  Russia  to  come  in  and  help  to  colonize  his  city.  Among  other 
things  which  he  promised  was  that  their  religious  liberty  should  not  be  interfered 
with  and  that  promise  holds  good  to  this  day.  These  people  though  virtually 
Russians  are  Lutheran  Protestants  and  have  their  own  churches  and  perfect  liberty 
to  worship  in  their  own  way,  although  they  may  not  intermarry  with  Russians 
belonging  to  the  Greek  Church.  Work  among  these  classes  was  easy  and  spread 
to  many  cities:  Warsaw,  Moscow,  Riga,   etc. 

But  the  needs  of  the  real  Russian  girls  appealed  to  Miss  Spencer  and  Mrs. 
Fraser.  Girls  who  were  already  living  in  the  city  and  many  others  who  came 
in  looking  for  work — almost  nothing  was  being  done  to  meet  their  wants.  If 
you  will  add  to  the  needs  of  girls,  as  you  know  them  in  any  of  the  big  cities, 
these  facts,  you  will  understand  something  of  the  difficulty  of  the  work  in  St. 
Petersburg:  atheism  and  indifference  are  rife  everywhere;  there  are  no  good 
schools,  no  stirring  lectures,  no  Christian  literature,  no  religious  periodicals  worth 
speaking  of,  no  strong  preachers,  no  public  opinion.  And,  on  the  other  hand, 
impure  and  blasphemous  books  and  pamphlets  and  translations  from  infidel 
publications   in   other  countries,   are  sold  cheaply   in  every  book  store.     Girls  of 


158  Third  Biennial  Convention 

fourteen  and  fifteen  are  reading,  and  discussing  with  enthusiasm,  books  in  which 
theories  of  free-love  and  abolition  of  marriage  are  pictured  as  the  ideal  society, 
and  the  materialistic  point  of  view  is  permeating  all  ranks  and  classes  from  the 
frivolous   woman   of   fashion   to   the   hard-working  servant  girl   or   factory   hand. 

And  yet  the  great  need  for  help  is  there.  The  Russians  are  innately  a 
religious  people.  They  are  seeking  for  God  and  they  do  not  know  where  to 
find   him. 

Some  effort  was  being  made,  although  generally  without  much  religious  in- 
fluence. A  Russian  lady  had  started  work  among  the  girls  of  St.  Petersburg 
and  when  Miss  Spencer  went  back  again  some  two  weeks  ago  she  found  that  this 
work  reaches  over  one  thousand  girls  in  a  year  and  includes  four  or  five  evening 
schools  and  four  homes  with  two  hundred  beds.  Definite  religious  teachings 
and  influences  such  as  exist  in  our  Associations  are  lacking,  though  small  Bible 
circles  are  being  formed.  Means  of  helping  these  people  are  not  so  difficult. 
The  Bible  is  an  open  book  in  Russia,  in  fact  Russia  is  the  only  country  which 
carries  the  Bible  free  through  its  length  and  breadth.  But  although  the  Bible  is 
an  open  book,  the  people  are  too  ignorant  to  understand  it. 

There  is  great  need  of  a  secretary  or  even  two  secretaries  if  possible  to  go 
and  live  there  quietly  and  help  the  people  in  Bible  study  and  just  live  a  Christ 
life  among  them.  They  need  the  same  Jesus  Christ  who  means  so  much  to  us 
in  our  daily  lives  and  surely  it  is  part  of  our  privilege  to  help  them  to  know  him. 

The  last  appeal  for  help  which  the  World's  Committee  received  was  from 
Bulgaria.  Madam  Economoff  and  Madam  Nedelkoff  came  to  the  Berlin  Con- 
ference with  their  hearts  full  of  the  need  of  their  country.  Few  who  heard  it 
will  forget  Madam  Economoff's  impassioned  appeal  as  she  pleaded  for  help  for 
Bulgaria,  at  one  of  our  meetings  in  Berlin.  Bulgaria  is  waking  up  and,  just 
as  in  the  more  advanced  countries,  girls  are  clamoring  for  education.  Although 
its  people  have  figured  in  history  since  the  ninth  century  it  is  a  new  country. 
Its  independence  of  Turkey  has  only  been  won  for  thirty-four  years  and  in  this 
time  it  has  sprung  from  a  nation  of  peasants  to  a  modern  state.  There  is,  as  a 
natural  result,  great  disorganization  of  character  and  morals  resulting  from  a 
too  rapid  transition  from  old  to  new.  Twenty  years  ago  women  were  still  in 
semi-Oriental  seclusion  and  to-day  school  girls  of  fourteen  and  fifteen  as  well 
as  women  students  come  up  to  the  city  and  board  and  lodge  alone.  There  is  a 
complete  cleavage  between  old  and  young.  Peasant  parents  have  no  control 
over  their  children  and  no  key  to  their  thoughts.  Russian  influence  is  strong 
and  the  worst  class  of  Russian  literature  is  read.  Atheism,  too,  is  in  the  country 
and  those  Bulgarians,  who  visit  other  lands,  come  home  and  report  that  Chris- 
tianity is  played  out  in  educated  Europe.  Madam  Economoff  and  Madam  Nedelkoff 
went  back  to  Sofia  believing  that  the  Association  was  the  one  possibility  of  meet- 
ing this  condition.  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  World's  Committee,  which  I 
attended  before  sailing,  we  received  their  official  appeal  from  which  I  would 
like  to  read  you  a  word  or  two. 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  knowing  something  of  the  beneficent  influences  of  the 
Association  in  other  lands,  and  feeling  the  tremendous  need,  in  our  city  and  the 


Miss  Ethel  Stevenson  159 

nation  at  large,  of  like  influences  which  shall  work  for  purity  and  righteousness 
among  the  younger  generation,  appeal  to  you  to  help  us. 

"  We  are  fully  convinced  that  Christian  principles  form  the  only  sure  founda- 
tion upon  which  our  young  people  can  build  a  strong  and  noble  character  and 
we  fervently  wish  the  spread  of  such  principles  among  the  women  and  girls 
of   the   city,   believing  that  the  whole  country  will   be   influenced   thereby. 

"  As  a  preliminary  measure  we  have  appointed  a  committee  of  nine  women, 
of  whom  three  are  orthodox,  two  Roman  Catholic,  and  four  Protestant,  to  work 
up  interest  in  the  Association  and  draw  up  a  constitution  upon  which  they  can 
all   agree." 

Miss  Spencer  left  Sofia  a  few  weeks  ago  but  will  go  back  again  so  as  to 
investigate  the  situation  thoroughly  and  Miss  Rouse  may  be  with  her.  The 
great  need  in  Bulgaria  is  for  an  experienced  secretary  who  must  know  foreign 
languages  and  foreign  conditions  and  can  guide  in  this  critical  and  difficult  time. 
Her  support  will  be  needed  as  Bulgaria  cannot  as  yet  undertake  this  and  the 
expense  would  come  to  something  like  $2,500  or  $3,000  per  year.  The  ladies, 
however,  thought  that  if  the  work  is  financed  for  two  years  and  started  on  a 
satisfactory  basis  Bulgaria  could  undertake  it. 

Many  of  us  are  remembering  the  World's  Student  Christian  Federation  Con- 
ference which  opens  to-day  in  Constantinople.  Do  we  realize  that  this  meet- 
ing in  the  near  East  will  bring  us  further  responsibilities?  Turkey  is  waking  up, 
not  to  mention  the  Eastern  Christians.  For  the  first  time  Turkish  girls  are  being 
sent  to  Christian  schools  for  the  sake  of  education.  Imagine  what  a  power  they 
might  be  as  they  go  back  to  their  homes.  But  the  schools  cannot  undertake  to 
follow  them  there.  Secretaries  will  again  be  needed — wise,  tactful  women  with 
hearts  full  of  the  love  of  Christ,  who  will  be  able  to  follow  the  girls  and  draw 
them  into  closer  touch  with  Jesus  Christ. 

I  should  like  to  tell  you  of  Belgium,  another  needy  land.  A  country  where 
perhaps  the  largest  proportion  of  women  are  found  doing  industrial  work;  wages 
are  terribly  low  and  women  work  even  in  the  coal  mines,  and  yet  in  this  little 
country  with  two  or  three  different  races,  speaking  at  least  two  diflFerent  languages, 
there  are  thirty-two  small  Associations  with  a  membership  of  six  hundred.  Not 
one  Association  in  Belgium  has  even  a  room  of  its  own  and  the  leadership  is 
almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  pastor's  wives  who  have  more  than  enough 
to   do. 

I  would  like  to  tell  you  of  Austria  where  the  difficulty  of  mixed  races  is 
such  a  large  one  and  where  the  Association  is  just  beginning  to  get  hold  of  girls 
in  Vienna  and  also  in  some  of  the  Provinces,  such  as  Bohemia  and  Galicia.  The 
need  in  these  countries  and  in  Portugal  as  well  as  the  needs  I  have  mentioned 
are  for  secretaries.  For  women  who  are  willing  to  go  for  the  sake  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  tell  others  of  the  joy  they  have  found.  These  are  some  of  the  needs 
which  I  bring  to  you  as  a  result  of  the  pioneer  work  of  the  World's  Committee — 
what  are  you  going  to  do  with  them?  I  have  told  you  of  the  need  of  secretaries 
and  the  need  of  money  but  there  is  a  deeper  and  more  pressing  need  than  either 
and  that  is  the  need  for  prayer,  a  need  which  each  one  here  can  supply.     It  is 


160  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  hardest  form  of  prayer  and  the  most  self-sacrificing,  but  it  is  the  most  Christ- 
like. The  Kingdom  of  our  Lord  is  coming  on  earth,  we  can  lift  up  our  eyes 
and  see  signs  of  it  on  all  sides.  Shall  we  not  all  have  our  share  in  bringing  it 
to  pass  ? 

May  I  add  just  one  word  in  closing  on  the  unifying  force  of  the  World's 
Association?  By  its  very  existence  it  must  be  a  power  for  unity,  for  to-day  it 
links  together  five  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  members  in  twenty-eight  different 
countries  for  the  same  end,  the  uplifting  of  womanhood  and  the  bringing  of  that 
womanhood  into  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  greatest  factor  in  this  work 
is  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  and  it  is  his  spirit  working  through  us  which  makes 
unity  possible.  How  else  could  people  of  different  races,  different  thoughts,  dif- 
ferent moods  and  aspirations  work  together  except  in  that  spirit  of  love  which 
he  brought  into  the  world  and  in   which  alone  we  find  a  common  ground. 

"  For  in  him  there  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  bond  nor  free,  but  all  are  one 
in  Christ  Jesus." 

Miss  Grace  Tottenham,  member  of  the  World's  Committee,  was 
called  on  to  speak  upon  "  The  Work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association  in  Great  Britain." 

Miss  Tottenham:  The  year  1855  was  distinguished  by  the  work  of  two 
women  whose  names  will  be  always  honored.  One,  Miss  Robarts,  started  a 
Prayer  Union  for  the  women  of  all  lands.  The  other,  Mrs.  Kinnaird,  interested 
in  the  selection  of  suitable  women  for  army  hospital  service  during  the  Crimean 
war,  opened  a  home  where  such  women  could  be  boarded  before  sailing  and 
where  they  could  be  received  on  their  return  home.  This  suggested  to  her  mind 
a  more  permanent  effort  for  the  benefit  of  all  girls  coming  up  to  London  from 
the  provinces. 

In  1861  these  two  ladies  united  their  work  under  the  name  of  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association.  It  was  not  until  1877  that  the  provincial  branches 
joined  with  the  London  organization  to  form  the  British  National  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association  with  its  divisions  of  North  and  South  England,  London, 
Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales,  each  with  its  Divisional  Council  and  staff  of  secretaries. 

The  present  number  of  Associations  is  1,353,  with  a  membership  of  102,471. 

Association  work  in  Great  Britain  has  to  contend  against  certain  difficulties. 
I.  Interdenominational  work  is  unpopular;  societies  attached  to  church  are  more 
in  favor.  2.  The  Association  draws  its  money  and  service  from  those  who  have 
small  means  and  willing  hearts;  it  has  not  attracted  the  notice  and  interest  of 
the  well-to-do  as  a  body.  Hence  the  work  is  somewhat  hindered,  by  the  question 
of  funds,  but  is  savoured  by  much  sacrifice.  3.  In  Great  Britain,  people  still 
recognize  the  distinctions  of  class.  While  there  never  was  such  a  sense  of 
brotherhood  so  widely  spread  among  those  who  care  for  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
we  may  still  with  truth  apply  the  words  of  the  oft-quoted  English  working 
woman  to  each  class  as  being  typical  of  its  social  life — "  I  keeps  myself  to  myself." 
In  consideration  of  this,  work  has  to  be  undertaken  by  the  Association  for  different 


Miss  Grace  Tottenham  161 

types  of  persons,   which  results   in  what  to  the  onlooker  may  seem   lack  of  cen- 
tralization  and  the  formation  of  many  different  departments. 

Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  find  that  the  work  of  the  Association  falls  into 
two  sections:  (i)  direct  work,  (2)  indirect  work,  or  work  done  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association.  The  direct  work  is  among  busi- 
ness, domestic  and  professional  classes  by  means  of  boarding  homes  and  institutes. 

The  boarding  homes  are  used  chiefly  by  those  in  business  and  professional 
life.  At  times  whole  parties  of  girls  emigrating  to  Canada  or  Australia  are 
committed  to  the  homes  at  Hull,  Liverpool,  London  and  Southampton  by  the 
government  offices  concerned.  Ames  House  in  the  London  Division  has  rooms  for 
ninety-seven  boarders,  and  four  hundred  girls  come  in  to  dinner  every  day.  In 
Birmingham,  there  is  a  boarding  home  for  fifty  girls  with  restaurant  and  rest 
rooms  for  two  hundred  daily. 

The  great  domestic  class  vies  with  the  business  class  in  its  use  of  the  insti- 
tutes. Of  these  the  Digby  Institute  at  Bournemouth  and  the  Forward  Club  at 
headquarters  are  among  the  best  types. 

Hitherto  the  work  of  the  Association  in  professional  circles  has  been  among 
nurses  and  teachers.  The  Guild  of  Teachers  emphasizes  the  spiritual  side  of 
the  teaching  profession.  Scotland  leads  the  way  in  the  Nurses  Union  with  a 
membership  of  one  thousand.  The  latest  development  in  the  direct  work  of  the 
Association  has  been  a  boarding  home  in  London  for  actresses.  It  is  perhaps 
the  most  modern  boarding  house  in  existence.  Breakfast  is  at  eleven  o'clock,  in 
dressing  gowns;  a  hot  supper  is  provided  at  midnight,  and  a  smoking  room  is 
set  apart  to  avoid  smoking  being  done  in  bedrooms.  One  day  in  the  week  an 
address  after  tea  is  given  by  a  well-known  speaker,  but  attendance  is  optional. 
It  is  hoped  that  similar  homes  may  be  established  for  this  class  of  professional 
women   in  other  great  towns. 

The  Association  has  its  evangelization  department,  its  junior  department, 
foreign  department,  with  thirty  workers  abroad,  and  its  social  service  depart- 
ment. This  latter  has  recently  had  to  call  the  attention  of  local  secretaries 
and  members  to  the  Mormon  propaganda,  which  is  a  source  of  great  danger  to 
the  young  women  of  England  at  this  present  time.  During  1910  over  69,000 
families  were  visited  by  Mormon  missionaries  in  England  and  Ireland,  and  the 
results  have  been   disastrous. 

Another  work  instigated  by  the  Association  was  the  establishment  of  a  lunch 
and  rest  room  at  the  White  City  Exhibition  in  London.  This  ultimately  led  to 
the  passing  of  a  bill  by  Parliament  through  which  provision  has  been  made  for 
the  future  comfort  of  all  exhibition  employees. 

At  the  present  time  the  Association  is  co-operating  in  investigations  having 
to  do  with  the  establishment  of  lodging  houses  for  women  in  London,  along  the 
lines  of  the  Glasgow  municipal  lodging  houses. 

I  must  pass  over  the  holiday  homes,  the  foreign  club,  employment  agency, 
loan  library  system,  prayer  union  and  other  forms  of  work  to  the  indirect  work, 
i.  e.,  work  originated  by  but  not  now  under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association. 


162  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Travelers'  Aid  (for  women  and  girls)  comes  under  this  heading;  twenty-two 
diflFerent  societies  have  amalgamated  this  side  of  their  work  with  the  Association 
to  avoid  overlapping. 

We  have,  too,  union  of  girls  of  leisure.  There  are  scores  of  girls  who  are 
putting  their  energies  into  games  and  amusements  all  day  long,  who  need  to  have 
a  sense  of  responsibility  for  life  awakened  or  to  have  other  interests  opened  up 
to  them.  For  some  fifteen  years,  in  difiFerent  parts  of  the  country,  wherever 
groups  of  girls  were  to  be  found,  centers  have  been  formed  in  connection  with 
this  Union,  each  with  its  president  and  secretary,  who  keep  the  members  in  touch 
with  existing  needs,  be  it  Association  or  the  needs  of  other  societies  or  local 
needs.     Three  scattered  members'   branches  are  conducted  by  correspondence. 

Each  center  in  town  or  county  aims  at  having  a  Bible  circle  missionary  study 
band  and  lectures  on  current  questions.  Girls  who  are  just  out  are  invited  to  a 
camp  in  the  summer,  by  private  invitation.  Bible  circles  are  held  and  an  even- 
ing hour  with  prayers  closes  the  day. 

This  Union,  besides  having  its  own  magazine,  has  its  own  settlement  in  a 
very  poor  part  of  London,  and  since  1899  it  has  organized  two  splendid  girls' 
clubs  for  the  working  girls  of  that  neighborhood,  one  of  them  being  for  very 
rough  girls.  The  restaurant  connected  with  this  settlement  is  crowded  with  girls 
from  factories  nearby  in  the  dinner  hour,  and  the  girls  of  leisure  do  the  entire 
work  of  the  service  themselves.  It  is  wonderful  how  many  girls  who  come  to 
stay  at  the  settlement  because  their  friends  do,  and  who  have  no  definite  purpose 
in  life,  go  away  with  a  realization  of  sisterhood  between  themselves  and  other 
girls  and  with  the  purpose  to  serve  Christ  all  their  days.  Many  members  in 
towns  help  their  local  girls'  clubs  and  they  also,  through  the  Guild  of  Teachers, 
help  to  bring  friendship  to  many  teachers  at  lonely  posts  in  town  and  country. 
Spiritual  life  and  widened  life  and  service  have  been  the  outcome  of  this  Union 
which,  at  present,  numbers  about  fifteen  hundred. 

We  pass  on  to  the  other  work  under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association — the  Federation  of  Working  Girls'  Clubs.  There  are  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  affiliated  clubs  for  working  girls.  Their  membership  in- 
cludes superior  working  girls  in  skilled  trades,  and  the  roughest  factory  girls 
doing  the  most  unskilled  work.  It  has  had  for  the  past  twelve  years  organized 
competitions  between  clubs.  This  is  now  a  great  feature  and  interest  has  grown 
so  great  that  there  is  each  year  a  senior  and  junior  competition  in  physical  drill, 
singing,  needlework,  embroidery,  knitting,  scripture  study  and  other  subjects.  The 
challenge  shield,  pictures  and  certificates  are  presented  at  a  great  prize-giving  and 
entertainment. 

The  Federation  gives  financial  help  to  struggling  clubs  in  poor  neighbor- 
hoods and  in  growing  districts.  It  arranges  conferences  for  clubs  and  by  these, 
also  through  its  magazine,  The  Girls'  Club  Journal,  it  keeps  club  leaders  in 
touch  with  all  movements  affecting  their  girls'  industrial  and  social  life.  In  the 
clubs  themselves  everything  that  will  help  the  girls  in  physical,  educational,  moral, 
spiritual  ways  is  arranged  for.  In  summer,  holidays  at  seaside  or  country  are 
planned   for  the  girls  who  save   up  all   winter   and,   when  possible,  club   leaders 


Mlle.  Suzanne  Bidgrain  163 

go  with  parties  of  their  girls.  White  Ribbon  Temperance  Bands,  married  mem- 
bers' guilds,  dinner  hour  services  in  factories,  days  in  the  country,  Bible  classes, 
and  mixed  choirs  are  other  features  of  the  work.  The  aim  of  this  Federation  is 
to  win  the  girls  to  know  and  serve  Christ  and  to  be  good  citizens. 

I  feel  that  in  presenting  to  you  this  brief  account  of  Association  work  in 
Great  Britain  I  have  given  you  the  shell  without  the  pearl.  But  the  pearl  is 
there,  and  all  the  outward  protection  of  the  shell  is  for  the  cultivation  of  the  gem 
and  to  forward  its  growth. 

The  vital  thing  in  our  boarding  homes,  institutes,  girls'  clubs,  departments 
and  unions,  is  the  spirit  in  them;  the  effort  and  the  desire  to  win  the  girls,  for 
whom  all  these  things  exist,  to  the  mastership  of  Christ;  to  send  them  back  to 
daily  life  to  witness  for  him  in  shop,  factory  and  home,  as  well  as  in  far  places, 
and  through  them  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 

The  Chairman  next  introduced  Mile.  Suzanne  Bidgrain,  Secretary  for 
the  National  Committee  of  France. 

Mlle.  Suzanne  Bidgrain:  As  this  is  the  international  day  of  your  conven- 
tion, I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  for  addressing  you  in  French-English.  (Laughter 
and  applause.) 

The  first  French  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  was  started  in  1849 
in  the  southeast  of  France.  It  was  a  very  small  branch  and  up  to  1870  only 
very  few  other  branches  sprang  up.  After  this  date  interest  was  awakened ;  in 
1893  the  organ  of  the  Association,  Le  Journal  de  la  Jeunes  Filles,  was  started; 
in  1894  all  the  branches  then  in  existence  united  and  agreed  to  have  a  national 
organization.  Since  then  the  number  of  branches,  their  extensive  activity,  their 
religious,  social  and  educational  importance  has  steadfastly  increased. 

When  saying  this  after  I  have  seen  something  of  your  splendid  American 
work  in  New  York,  I  have  some  fear  that  my  words  may  lead  you  to  think  the 
French  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  much  stronger  and  more  effective 
than  it  really  is;  please  keep  in  mind  the  tremendous  difference  in  importance, 
wealth,  etc.,  between  your  country  and  mine,  remember  that  everything,  progress 
included,  is  on  a  smaller  scale  and  (as  our  idiom  is  translated)  look  at  us 
through  the  small  side  of  your  glasses.  Having  thus  I  hope  cut  in  the  root  all 
possible  misrepresentation  I  am  glad  to  say  that  our  progress,  if  comparatively 
small,  is  real ;  there  is  a  rising  tide  of  life  and  interest.  Our  Alliance  Franqaise 
des  Union  Chretienne  de  Jeunes  Filles  numbers  now  sixteen  territorial  divisions, 
289  local  branches  and  over  9,000  members. 

Each  branch,  each  division  enjoys  much  autonomy.  Circumstances,  needs  and 
means  differ  widely  and  our  motto  could  be,  "  Union  in  diversity."  We  hold 
that  all  methods  may  be  tried  and  ought  to  be  tried  as  long  as  all  tend  towards 
our  ideal  which  is  the  same  as  yours;  to  help  every  young  woman  to  become  a 
Christian  woman  in  the  fullest  sense.  We  try  therefore  to  meet  every  need  and 
to  supply  in  every  life  what  is  lacking.  To  some  girls  we  give  lessons,  lectures, 
an  opportunity  to  develop  on   the  intellectual  side  and,  as   in  France  all  classes 


164  Third  Biennial  Convention 

of  girls  come  together  in  the  same  branches,  this  gives  to  the  girl  of  education  the 
privilege   of   making   a   disinterested   use   of  her   knowledge. 

To  other  girls  whose  life  is  sadly  devoid  of  wholesome  pleasure  our  Asso- 
ciation attempts  to  provide  such:  social  gatherings,  walking  excursions,  little 
feasts  on  special  occasions,  etc. 

For  all,  the  Association  is  the  home  of  their  spiritual  life  and  everywhere 
the  Bible  is  studied,  hymns  are  sung  to  God's  glory,  and  girls  are  strengthened 
in  the  one  thing  needful,  and  learn  the  unmatched  beauty  of  Christian  friendship. 

Our  little  girls  have  not  been  forgotten  and  a  great  number  of  Associations 
have  junior  branches  where  Bible  studies,  lectures,  songs  and  pleasures  are 
planned   according  to  their  age. 

What  I  have  tried  to  bring  before  you  is  only  the  general  idea  of  our 
Association  program,  for  many  of  our  branches  add  other  lines  of  work  to  these 
essential  activities. 

In  such  parts  where  our  branches  are  happy  enough  to  have  a  place  small 
or  great  where  they  can  feel  at  home,  extensive  work  of  a  social  and  evangelistic 
character  can  be  done.  In  Rouen,  for  instance,  the  Association  has  a  house- 
keeping equipment  and  teaches  cookery.  In  Alais,  a  manufacturing  city  in  the 
South,  the  Association  works  especially  among  factory  people.  Evening  classes 
for  working  girls,  and  free  libraries  have  been  started.  The  Association  also 
provides  a  place  to  which  school  children  may  come  until  their  mothers  return 
from  work;  the  children  being  then  looked  after  by  the  Association  members.  In 
Marseilles  the  Association  arranges  special  meetings  for  shop  girls  and  clerks. 
Invitations  are  distributed  by  the  members  in  all  the  great  stores  and  shops  of 
the  city,  to  attend  the  artistic  evening  parties  given  by  the  Association.  In  this 
way  girls  are  reached  who  would  never  be  seen  entering  a  church. 

Unfortunately  such  important  work  is  impossible  for  the  majority  of  our 
branches.  Not  in  most  cases  for  lack  of  zeal  or  of  volunteer  workers  but  through 
lack  of  money  to  hire  a  neutral  place  of  meeting.  For  the  numerous  branches 
which  hold  their  meetings  in  a  parish  room  or  at  the  house,  the  field  of  work  is 
limited  to  Protestant  girls  and  even  among  these  every  kind  of  work  requiring 
special  equipment  as,  for  instance,  housekeeping  instruction  is  out  of  the  question. 

All  our  branches  are  interested  in  missions,  sew,  collect,  manage  bazaars, 
have  work  of  one  kind  or  another  for  the  support  of  missions.  Alongside  of  this 
general  interest  our  Association  has  its  own  special  mission  work  in  Madagascar. 
Seventeen  girls  are  brought  up  there  as  our  adopted  children,  by  missionaries, 
all  their  expenses  being  paid  by  one  hundred  and  nineteen  branches  of  our 
Association,    and   we   hope  to   adopt  seven   more   girls   this   year. 

A  thrift  department  and  also  special  classes  where  our  girls  sew  on  house 
and  personal  clothing,  prepare  them  for  their  future  duties  of  housekeepers  and 
heads  of  families,  teaching  them  to  be   farseeing  and  economical. 

There  is  one  form  of  social  work  which  appears  to  us  as  always  more  needed 
and  useful;  it  is  what  we  call  our  "  Maisons  de  vacances,"  holiday  homes  for 
girls.  Five  such  houses  all  situated  in  the  country  or  at  the  seaside  have  been 
opened.     Our  city  girls  stay  there  two  weeks  or  more  if  they  can,  paying  generally 


Mlle.  Suzanne  Bidgrain  165 

thirty  to  forty  cents  a  day  and  they  remember  these  holidays  as  a  time  of 
spiritual  refreshment  as  well   as  of  physical   rest. 

In  many  cases  we  co-operate  with  fellow  workers  of  other  organizations. 
For  instance,  with  Les  amies  de  la  Jeune  Fille,  which  may  be  compared  to  your 
Travelers'  Aid  Society,  or  with  L'Etoile  Blanche,  the  French  Purity  Alliance. 

Last  but  not  least  stand  our  foyers,  restaurants  and  homes.  In  Paris  we 
have  seven  of  these,  open  to  non-members  as  well  as  to  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion, with  an  attendance  of  seven  to  eight  hundred  girls  every  day  at  noon  and 
where  eighty  of  them  are  accommodated.  Our  desire  is  to  give  these  as  much 
as  possible  the  home  atmosphere.  Marseilles,  Bordeaux,  Lyon,  St.  Etienne  have 
also  their  foyers   and  homes. 

Isolated  girls  living  in  the  country  too  far  from  any  branch  to  be  able  to 
join  it  have  formed  between  themselves  "  L'Union  des  desteumiees "  or  "  society 
of  lonely  ones  "  and  exchange  books,  papers,  magazines,  letters,  etc. 

We  have  also  circulating  libraries  for  those  of  our  branches  which  cannot 
afford  to  have  a  library  of  their  own. 

All  this  is  only  a  very  modest  beginning,  but  our  task  is  a  peculiarly  difficult 
one  owing  to  the  religious  circumstances  of  our  country,  where  both  Catholics 
and  free  thinkers  are  equally  hostile  to  our  work  and  where  Protestants  are  a 
very  small  minority;  in  fact,  only  the  seventy-sixth  part  of  the  whole  population. 
Our  work  as  secretaries  is  not  only  to  visit  and  organize  but  also  to  encourage, 
to  brace,  to  uphold  our  local  workers  who  are  all  volunteers  and  mostly  engaged 
in  some  paid  profession  besides  their  Association  work. 

Above  all  we  have  to  place  unwaveringly  our  religious  ideal  and  object 
before  the  conscience  of  our  girls  and  to  live  up  to  this  ideal  in  the  face  of  a 
world  which  rejects  or  distorts  the  Christ  who  is  to  us  both  our  motive  power 
and  our  goal. 

I  have  been  told  that  you  would  be  interested  to  hear  something  of  the 
Eastern  countries  of  Europe  where  I  have  had  the  privilege  to  work  lately  with 
Miss  Ruth  Rouse.  Our  object  was  to  present  the  World's  Student  Christian 
Federation  to  the  students  of  Roumania  and  Servia,  among  whom  no  Christian 
Association  of  any  kind  exists  and  where  the  beautiful  Christian  movements  of 
other  countries  are  wholly  unknown. 

It  is  under  these  very  unfavorable  circumstances  that  we  started  on  our 
pioneering  tour,  the  prominent  feature  of  which  was  a  wonderful  sense  of  direct 
guidance  and  help  from  God  smoothing  the  path  and  showing  us  the  way  in  a 
most  difficult  field. 

Not  only  Christian  faith  but  even  religious  problems  seem  to  have  dropped 
entirely  out  of  the  sphere  of  thought  and  interest  of  Roumanian  students.  Their 
church,  the  Roumanian  Greek  orthodox  church,  has  lost  all  hold  upon  them;  they 
do  not  discuss  or  fight  against  her,  they  consider  her  as  dead  and  state  the  fact, 
when  questioned,  without  either  bitterness  or  sorrow.  A  strong  feeling  of  aston- 
ishment at  our  interest  in  these  matters  was  elicited  in  many,  most  of  them 
having  rarely  given  it  a  thought. 

The  first  but  not  the  easiest  question  to  settle  was  how  to  get  at  these  people, 


166  Third  Biennial  Convention 

how  to  arrange  a  meeting,  and  before  we  knew  how  or  why  the  problem  was 
solved.  Seemingly  by  pure  chance  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  theological 
student  who  was  deeply  interested  in  what  we  told  him  of  the  Federation,  so 
much  so  that  he  offered  us,  two  days  after  our  arrival  in  Bucharest,  the  most 
splendid  opportunity  we  could  have  wished  for.  He  invited  us  to  address  a 
meeting  of  men  and  women  students  representing  all  the  student  societies  of 
Roumania  which  met  under  his  presidency  to  discuss  questions  of  university  ex- 
tension. Over  a  hundred  students,  out  of  which  only  twenty  were  women,  were 
present.  Our  account  of  the  Federation  was  received  with  great  astonishment, 
but  with  some  sympathy  and  the  most  courteous  attention.  As  in  many  other 
countries  the  emancipation  of  women,  suddenly  freed  from  old-fashioned  customs, 
has  at  first  lowered  the  moral  tone  of  womanhood,  but  it  appears  that  the  Rou- 
manian students  have  quickly  regained  their  balance;  the  state  of  moral  life 
amongst  them  seems  infinitely  better  than  in  other  surrounding  countries. 

Our  second  step  was  to  win  the  confidence  of  a  remarkable  woman  who  has 
done  more  than  anyone  else  in  Roumania  for  the  welfare  of  women  students  in 
founding  the  Caminul  Studentel  or,  "  Student  Home."  This  is  a  delightful  home 
where  ninety  students  are  accommodated,  helped,  advised,  in  many  ways  educated. 
No  religious  influence  is  at  work  in  the  house  and  we  were  very  doubtful  as  to 
what  we  would  be  allowed  to  do  for  these  students.  There  again  the  door  opened 
wide  before  us.  We  were  received  most  cordially  and  we  could  once  more  stand 
up  for  our  Master  before  a  hundred  women  students  and  tell  them  of  the  rising 
tide  of  Christian  faith  among  their  fellow-students  all  over  the  world. 

The  intense  fear  of  Protestant  propaganda  to  be  found  everywhere  in  Rou- 
mania will  be  the  greatest  difficulty  to  be  overcome,  before  any  regular  work  can 
be  begun  there. 

This  fear  has  a  political  "  raison  d'etre,"  misunderstandings,  misrepresenta- 
tions are  nearly  impossible  to  prevent;  those  who  having  caught  a  vision  of  our 
ideal  will  try  to  realize  it  in  their  country,  will  have  a  hard  struggle  to  face,  and 
need  our  faithful  prayers.  In  Servia,  a  poor,  sad,  little  country  always  on  the  verge 
of  civil  and  foreign  war,  everything  is  more  behind  the  times  than  in  Roumania. 
The  lingering  effects  of  Turkish  oppression  are  still  to  be  felt  and  the  women 
students  are  few.  We  found  there  the  same  complete  religious  indifference  com- 
bined with  a  shade  more  loyalty  to  the  church  of  their  country,  which  is  another 
branch  of  the  great  Greek  Orthodox  Church.  But  this  is  a  political  not  an  evan- 
gelical loyalty  and  manifests  itself  only  through  attendance  at  some  important 
church  festivities.  We  had  a  Roman  Catholic  lady,  an  Irish  woman,  as  hostess 
for  one  of  our  meetings  and  used  this  opportunity  to  explain  what  Student  Chris- 
tian Associations  stand  for,  and  what  splendid  work  some  of  them  have  achieved. 
It  is  quite  a  revelation  to  these  poor  misled  students  who  think,  because  they 
have  read  Nietsche  and  Renan,  that  the  modern  mind  has  definitely  tested  and 
rejected  Christianity. 

Our  greatest  help  in  Belgrade  came  from  a  student  who  had  studied  in 
Paris  and  for  five  weeks  only  had  been  an  associate  member  of  the  Student  Hostel 
there.     Her  feeling  of  gratitude  was  such  that  she  laid  herself  out  in  every  way 


Miss  Mary  B.  Hill  167 

to  ease  our  work  and  she  convinced  us  anew  that  the  hope  for  such  countries 
as  Servia  and  Rouraania  lies  in  the  impression  made  upon  the  students  who 
migrate  to  Switzerland,  France,  and  Germany  to  get  the  best  possible  instruction. 
The  responsibility  rests  with  us  to  give  them  more  than  this,  and  to  let  Christ 
shine  through  us  so  clearly  that  they  could  not  but  be  brought  to  him. 

The  Chairman  welcoming  the  secretaries  representing  the  field  intro- 
duced Miss  Mary  B.  Hill,  General  Secretary  of  the  Lahore  Association, 
on  the  work  in   India. 

Miss  Hill:  We,  of  America,  think  of  the  women  in  India  as  being  our 
sisters,  because  we  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  But  does  it  ever  occur  to  you 
that  the  very  blood  that  flows  in  your  veins  flows  in  their  veins?  If  we  go 
away  back  to  our  ancestors,  the  Aryan  race  when  they  left  the  Caucasian  Moun- 
tains and  came  down  through  the  Tiber  Pass,  and  invaded  the  whole  of  India, 
which  they  occupy  to-day,  you  will  realize  the  relationship.  So  you  and  our 
young  women  of  India  are  actually  of  the  same  flesh  and  blood,  as  well  as  being 
one  in  Christ  Jesus.  But  at  the  time  that  great  Aryan  horde  was  coming  into 
India,  through  that  Tiber  Pass,  just  above  Lahore  where  my  work  is  at  present, 
two  thousand  miles  away  occurred  a  scene  with  which  you  and  I  are  more 
familiar.  The  children  of  Israel  were  facing  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  you 
will  remember  that  they  got  to  within  eleven  days  of  that  land,  and  then  sent 
twelve  spies  in  to  spy  out  the  land  and  come  back  and  report.  This  the  spies 
did ;  and  they  brought  back  two  reports.  They  agreed  as  to  the  land  and  the 
people,  and  the  advantages  of  it,  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  but  they  disagreed 
as  to  whether  they  were  able  to  go  up  and  possess  it.  Only  two  out  of  the 
twelve,  Caleb  and  Joshua,  stood  up  bravely  and  boldly  said,  "  Let  us  go  in  at 
once  and  possess  the  land,  for  we  are  well  able."  The  others  said,  "  We  are  not." 
We  know  what  the  result  of  that  was.  The  majority  ruled,  and  forty  years  of 
suflfering  and  wandering  in  the  wilderness  ensued. 

Here  is  an  actual,  parallel  case,  it  seems  to  me.  We  are  presenting  India 
to  you  to-day.  And  I  say,  "We  are,"  because  Miss  Cross  is  here;  just  came 
from  India ;  and  we,  too,  have  been  over  and  spied  out  the  land,  and  we  have 
come  back  with  our  report,  and  it  is  a  minority  report — only  two  of  us;  but  we 
are  going  to  hold  up  our  bunch  of  grapes  and  let  you  look  longingly  at  it,  but 
if  you  want  to  taste  any  of  it,  you  will  have  to  come  over  to  India.  (Applause.) 
Did  you  ever  think  that  the  map  of  India  is  just  the  shape  of  a  bunch  of 
grapes,  and  it  hangs  to  the  highest  peak  in  the  world,  Mount  Everest. 

I  am  going  to  report  to  you  about  this  land,  and  the  people,  and  I  am  going 
to  say,  "  Let  us  go  up  at  once  and  possess  this  land,  because  we  are  able."  We 
Americans  are  well  able.  I  am  sure  our  British  friends  here  to-day  will  for- 
give me  if  I  just  leave  them  out  a  little  bit,  for  I  am  going  to  talk  from  the 
American  standpoint.  We  want  to  bring  you  a  compelling  conviction  that  we  are 
well   able  to  possess  India,  from  an  Association   standpoint. 


168  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Now,  a  little  bit  about  this  land.  It  is  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey. 
I  wish  I  had  time  to  picture  the  beauties  of  India,  and  the  desire  of  those  hun- 
dred and  forty  millions  of  women  of  India  for  a  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  means  personal  service  and  sacrifice  to  bring  this  knowledge  to  those  women. 
Three  hundred  millions  of  people,  a  land  half  as  big  as  the  whole  United  States, 
with  that  awful  caste  system,  and  religions  so  vile  that  the  lives  of  the  gods 
cannot  be  written  in  English;  not  allowed  by  the  government.  Of  the  women 
of  India,  it  may  be  said  that,  taken  as  a  whole,  their  birth  is  unwelcome,  their 
physical  life  is  outraged,  their  mental  life  stunted,  and  their  spiritual  life  denied 
existence,  in  a  land  where  they  believe  in  the  sanctity  of  the  cow  and  the  deprav- 
ity of  woman!  And  it  is  all  true,  the  worst  that  you  can  possibly  hear,  and  a 
great  deal  worse  than  you  can  possibly  hear.  But  all  of  the  western,  civilizing 
influences  that  are  coming  into  India,  are  going  to  have  an  effect  in  molding 
the  lives  of  the  young  women  of  India.  Are  we  going  to  face  these  enemies 
and  fight  for  these  young  women,  and  win  that  country  for  Him? 

Eleven  little  American  secretaries — eleven,  among  one  hundred  and  forty 
millions  of  women!  There  are  some  splendid  English  workers  there,  and  we 
have  about  seventeen  hundred  women  of  the  country  trained,  who  are  helping 
in  the  work.  But  there  are  just  eleven  Americans — eleven  in  sixteen  years,  dear 
friends.  We  keep  hearing  about  all  these  American  secretaries  that  are  going 
out  to  India,  but  it  has  taken  us  sixteen  years  to  produce  eleven,  and  we  are  as 
grasshoppers  in  their  sight,  and  in  our  own.  It  is  going  to  cost  life  blood.  Al- 
ready, one  of  our  dear  secretaries,  one  of  the  finest  English  workers  we  have 
ever  had,  has  laid  down  her  life.  Why  are  our  numbers  fewer  than  they  were 
a  while  ago?  Because  our  American  secretaries  have  not  come  to  the  rescue, 
and  there  are  six  to-day  who  will  soon  be  broken  down  under  the  pressure  of 
the  work  they  are  facing,  unless  help  comes. 

While  there  was  a  split  in  that  report,  they  all  agreed  about  the  country 
and  about  the  size  and  strength  of  the  enemy;  and  we  all  agree  about  that, 
but  is  there  going  to  be  a  split  when  we  come  to  go  a  little  farther,  as  Caleb 
and  Joshua  did,  and  recognize  the  hand  of  our  God  upon  us,  and  give  him 
the  glory  for  what  he  has  accomplished?  How  much  we  of  America  have  to 
thank  him  for,  as  we  hear  these  wonderful  reports  of  what  God  is  doing  for  our 
Association.  As  the  children  of  Israel  looked  back  upon  their  wonderful  deliv- 
erance from  Egypt,  the  pillar  and  cloud  directing  them  in  their  flight,  only  two 
could  look  up,  and  in  view  of  what  they  had  done  say,  "  Let  us  go  up  and  pos- 
sess it,  for  we  are  well  able." 

Is  this  compelling  conviction  going  to  lay  hold  of  you  to-day?  Are  we  going 
to  recognize  the  fact  that  we  are  well  able,  basing  that  conviction,  not  upon 
our  own  strength,  for  we  are  poor  and  weak,  but  upon  the  strength  and  the  arm 
and  all  that  God  can  give,  to  enable  us  to  go  and  win  India? 

Now,  what  is  my  little  bunch  of  grapes  that  I  am  going  to  hold  up  to  you 
to-day,  as  an  example  of  what  God  has  done  and  what  he  can  do  in  India? 
There  are  our  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  little  Associations — seventy-seven 
city,  and  fifty-two  student  Associations — with  a  membership  of  8,674   (applause)  ; 


Miss  Mary  B.  Hill  169 

thirty  foreign  secretaries  and  seventeen  home  secretaries.  There  are  six  holi- 
day homes  in  the  hills,  and  there  are  constantly  camps  and  conferences  being 
held  for  the  young  women.  And  I  would  just  like  to  say  right  here,  that  our 
Quadrennial  Conference,  which  closed  a  few  months  ago  in  Calcutta,  passed  a 
financial  budget  which,  in  percentage,  is  far  and  away  ahead  of  your  four  per 
cent  that  you  passed  here  (applause),  and  that  India  was  the  first,  and  I  think 
the  only  country  that  has  ever  met  its  full  quota  of  the  penny  support  of  the 
World's  Work.  (Applause.)  I  wish  I  could  just  show  you  some  of  the  young 
women  scattered  all  over  India,  in  missionary  work,  in  government  places,  in 
business  and  commerce,  in  every  line  of  activity  in  life,  all  leaders,  as  promising 
and  splendid  young  women  as  you  will  ever  see,  who  have  come  into  a  vision 
and  have  seen  light  as  something  worth  while,  through  the  work  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. 

I  wish  I  could  tell  you  what  the  Association  has  done  for  the  leisure  class; 
how  their  lives  and  services  have  been  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  young  women 
of  the  country.  And  then  I  wish  you  could  see,  with  us,  that  the  strong  con- 
fidence we  have  is  not  only  based  upon  what  God  has  done,  but  upon  the  command 
and  the  promise  unfulfilled.  God  swore  to  their  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  that  he  would  give  them  the  land.  He  has  sworn  to  us  that  he 
would  give  us  the  heathen  for  our  inheritance,  and  he  has  also  promised 
us  his  blessing  if  we  would  go  in  and  possess.  I  believe  the  American  As- 
sociation stands  to-day  where,  if  it  goes  forward  largely  on  this  foreign  de- 
partment of  the  work,  it  is  going  to  have  a  reflex  action  of  such  blessing  upon 
the  home  work,  as  we  have  never  before  seen.  I  think  the  testimonials  that 
we  have  had  in  this  conference,  of  the  blessings  of  the  foreign  department,  are 
just  a  sample  to  show  what  God  can  do,  if  we  will  just  rise  to  fulfill  his  blessed 
commands,  believing  that  his  commands  will  enable  us  to  go  in  and  possess 
the  land. 

Shall  we  face  this  question  with  that  strong,  compelling  confidence  that  we 
are  able  to  do  it?  Or  shall  we  turn  back  with  murmurings  and  complainings, 
to  our  wanderings? 

I  want  you  to  realize  that  the  young  women  of  India  are  to-day  in  a  state 
of  transformation  and  change.  The  mold  is  setting.  Are  we  going  to  have  a 
part  in  the  shaping  of  it?  We  have  an  opportunity  to-day;  we  don't  know 
whether  we  shall  have  it  to-morrow  or  not.  We  don't  know  whether  or 
not  all  these  open  doors  in  India  are  going  to  be  open  to  us  to-morrow.  I 
want  you  to  realize  that  now,  as  in  the  days  of  the  children  of  Israel,  there 
are  two  reports,  a  majority  and  a  minority  report,  the  optimist  and  the  pessimist. 
What  are  you  ?  These  pessimists  said,  "  We  can't  do  it ;  we  haven't  enough 
money;  we  are  not  able."  Some  here  are  saying,  "We  have  got  to  fill  our  places 
here  at  home  before  we  send  secretaries  out  to  India,  and  we  will  have  to  finance 
things  very  diflFerently  at  home  before  we  can  do  anything  out  there."  They 
keep  saying,  "  A  little  later  we  will  have  plenty  of  secretaries  and  plenty  of 
money  for  India."  "  A  little  later "  is  the  devil's  device.  It  is  now  or  never, 
with   India   to-day!      To   which   of   these   two   do  we   belong?     The   majority   is 


170  Third  Biennial  Convention 

the  crowd;  it  is  fearful  and  fretful  and  faithless  and  cowardly,  and  turns  back. 
But  the  minority — well,  if  it  is  ten  to  two,  that  is  five  to  one,  and  there  are  five 
times  as  many  young  women  in  India  as  there  are  in  the  United  States — it  is 
five  to  one  on  the  other  side  there;  but  if  you  belong  to  the  minority,  you  will 
realize  that  we  have  got  to  do  something  more  than  to  send  one  secretary  to 
India  for  every  hundred  and  two  secretaries  at  home.  That  is  what  we  are 
doing  now-  Don't  let  us  pat  ourselves  on  the  back  and  say  that  we  are  doing 
well.     We  are  not  doing  all  we  might. 

"  We  are  well  able,  let  us  go  up  and  possess  the  land."  If  we  have  the 
courage,  the  faith,  and  the  confidence,  and  the  hope  of  this  blessed  conviction, 
and  not  only  say  that  we  are  able,  but  that  we  are  luell  able,  we  can  do  it. 
We  have  women  enough  and  we  have  wealth  enough.  The  question  is,  have 
we  ivill  enough?  Will  to  go?  How  many  secretaries  here  have  cpme  up  with, 
down  in  their  hearts,  the  call  of  God  to  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  to  serve 
him,  and  they  are  hiding  it  away  and  are  not  willing  to  go?  And  then,  a 
willingness  to  let  go — how  many  of  you  dear  board  women  are  saying,  "  Now, 
don't  you  talk  to  our  secretary,  don't  you  get  her  to  go  out  to  the  foreign  field!" 
I  have  heard  that  several  times.  You  ought  to  be  praying  for  your  secretaries 
to  go  out  to  India,  so  that  the  younger  ones  can  come  up.  If  some  of  you  good, 
experienced  secretaries  would  retire  to  the  foreign  field,  it  would  make  room 
for  some  of  the  promising  young  material  to  come  on,  here  at  home. 
(Laughter  and  applause.) 

And  then,  it  is  not  only  to  let  go,  but  to  help  to  go.  And  there  is  the  money 
question.  I  very  much  wonder  if  this  financial  support  that  you  are  talking 
about,  is  not  going  to  strike  the  death  blow  to  the  need  for  buildings  and  equip- 
ment in  the  foreign  field,  which  we  are  going  to  have  to  undertake.  We  have 
women  enough  and  wealth  enough — have  we  the  will?  "Let  us  go  up  and  pos- 
sess the  land  at  once,  for  we  are  well  able."     (Applause.) 

The  Chairman  introducing  Miss  Caroline  Macdonald,  Secretary  for 
the  National  Committee  of  Japan,  said  that  another  thrilling  story  was  to 
be  heard. 

Miss  Caroline  Macdonald:  "Bliss  is  it  in  this  dawn  to  be  alive.  But  to  be 
young  is  heaven."  I  wonder  if  we  realize,  all  of  us,  that  we  are  living  in  one 
of  the  greatest  ages  in  the  history  of  the  world?  We  are  living  in  a  time  when 
we  see  the  age-long  sleeping  East  awakening  and  in  the  great  crash  of  world 
events,  we  are  realizing  that  the  world  has  become  one. 

This  age,  of  all  ages,  should  remind  us  of  those  days  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago,  when  One  went  apart  with  a  few  friends  whom  he  had  gathered  together, 
and  prayed  that  the  world  might  be  one.  And  this  is  the  first  age,  I  believe, 
since  the  day  of  that  prayer,  when  it  is  possible  for  the  world  to  become  one  in 
S3mapathy  and  in  union  with  Jesus  Christ.  The  barriers  between  nations  have 
been  broken  down,  and  whatever  be  the  problems  between  the  East  and  the  West, 
the  East  has  arisen  on  the  horizon  of  the  world's  politics  and  we  can  no  longer 


Miss  Caroline  Macdonald  171 

ignore  our  relation  to  these  problems,  whatever  we  may  do  with  them.  Com- 
mercially and  politically  the  East  has  to  be  reckoned  with.  Is  the  Church  of 
Christ  to  be  behind  statesmen  and  politicians  in  their  recognition  of  this  great 
truth?  Are  we  to  go  forward  or  are  we  to  remain  behind,  in  this  great  move- 
ment of  unity  among  the  nations  of  the  world? 

What  are  the  signs  of  the  times?  Wars,  and  rumors  of  war?  No!  Peace, 
and  rumors  of  peace.  The  day  is  coming,  and  coming  speedily,  I  believe,  when 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ  when  he  shall  reign  forever  and  ever. 

In  connection  with  the  progress  of  Eastern  nations,  the  Land  of  the  Rising 
Sun  is  mainly  significant  because  she  has  been  in  the  van  of  this  new  movement. 
It  is  she  who  has  compelled  Western  nations  to  reckon  with  the  Eastern  peoples. 
She  has  been  the  first  to  realize  the  power  of  the  Eastern  nations  to  stand  side 
by  side  with  the  great  Christian  nations  of  the  world.  And  there  is  nothing 
more  significant  than  the  fact  that  Japan  has  had  to  prove  by  her  prowess  in 
war,  her  ability  to  stand  by  the  side  of  the  great  so-called  Christian  nations  of 
the  world.  I  hope  that  is  not  going  to  be  true  of  the  other  great  nations  that 
are  coming  to  the  fore.  Well  may  it  be  that  China  shall  teach  us,  not  the  arts 
of  war  again,  but  the  arts  of  peace. 

One  of  the  most  significant  things  that  Japan  did  in  her  early  days  was  to 
emphasize  the  need  of  education,  not  only  for  men  but  for  women  as  well.  We 
deal  with  what  one  might  call  a  unique  situation  in  the  world  at  the  present 
time,  namely,  we  think  of  Japan,  therefore,  as  an  educated,  non-Christian  country. 
Women,  for  the  past  thirty  years,  have  been  receiving  at  least  a  primary  edu- 
cation, and  they  are  reaping  all  the  advantages  and  all  the  difficulties  of  the  great 
transition  period  through  which  they  are  passing. 

We  have  been  talking  a  good  deal,  the  last  few  days,  about  the  problems 
among  our  own  women  In  this  country.  I  wish  that  we  might  use  our  imaginations 
a  little.  I  am  sure  that  Miss  Hill  will  agree  with  me  when  I  say,  that  repre- 
senting India  and  Japan,  she  and  I  could  have  occupied  your  attention  for  four 
or  five  days,  speaking  of  the  social  and  Industrial  and  educational  problems  of 
those  great  nations  of  the  earth,  and  have  thrilled  you,  even  as  much  as  you  have 
been  thrilled  during  these  days,  in  connection  with  the  problems  of  the  women 
of  your  own  nation. 

I  want  it  to  be  remembered  that  in  this  Christian  land  and  in  the  lands 
which  we  represent,  there  is  a  Christian  consciousness,  and  It  is  not  because 
you  are  American  women  that  you  have  come  together  during  these  days  to  dis- 
cuss the  problems  of  the  young  women  of  this  land.  There  are  thousands  of 
other  American  women  in  this  land  who  are  just  as  devoted  and  loyal  to  their 
country  as  you  are,  who  are  not  here  discussing  the  problems  of  the  women  of 
this  country.  It  is  because  you  are  Christian  women,  and  because  you  are  such 
you  have  no  right  to  study  the  problems  of  the  women  of  your  own  nation,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  womanhood  of  any  other  nation  of  the  world  because  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God  there  are  no  Americans,  nor  British,  nor  French — we  are  all 
one  in  Jesus  Christ. 


172  Third  Biennial  Convention 

It  is  within  a  field  similar  to  your  own  that  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association  has  begun  its  work  in  Japan.  I  want  you  to  remember  that  we 
are  one  of  the  most  infantile  Associations  affiliated  with  the  World's  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association. 

There  are  in  the  city  of  Tokio  alone,  fifteen  thousand  school  girls  and 
students,  of  whom  five  thousand  are  away  from  home  and  living  in  ordinary, 
common  boarding  houses.  We  speak  a  good  deal  about  the  housing  problem  in 
this  country,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  a  serious  problem;  we  are  in  the  midst  of 
a  Christian  civilization,  and  so  one  can  understand  how  the  difficulties  of  the 
housing  problem  are  increased  in  a  country  where  these  problems  are  worked  out 
in  the  midst  of  a  non-Christian  civilization,  which  in  many  ways  is  doing  so  much 
for  the  advancement  of  women.  The  girls  are  attending,  for  the  most  part,  gov- 
ernment schools,  and  our  work  has  been  to  get  hold,  in  small  numbers  so  far,  of 
many  of  these  girls  in  government  schools,  and  enroll  them  in  Bible  classes.  We 
have  been  able,  in  the  last  two  years,  to  build  two  hotels  or  dormitories  for  stu- 
dents away  from  home,  and  so  are  able,  in  a  small  way,  to  touch  the  housing 
problem  in  Tokio  at  least. 

We  have  also  our  summer  conferences,  just  as  you  gather  at  your  Silver  Bay 
and  Lake  Geneva,  there  to  study  the  word  of  God,  and  come  into  fellowship 
one  with  another.  I  shall  never  forget  what  one  girl  said  to  me  at  the  close  of 
our  last  conference.  She  said,  "  This  conference  has  given  me  courage  to  go 
home,"  and  when  speaking  to  her  afterwards,  I  found  that  she  was  not  only 
the  only  Christian  in  her  family,  but  she  was  the  only  Christian  in  the  village 
to  which  she  was  going.  I  knew  one  girl  who  was  almost  the  only  Christian  in 
her  town,  and  who  went  back  and  gathered  her  neighbors  together  into  a  Bible 
class,  and  she  interested  her  father  and  mother  in  such  a  way  that  they  insisted 
that  all  of  their  children  attend  Sunday  school. 

Shortly  before  I  came  away  two  of  the  great  cities  of  the  country,  one  of 
over  a  million  inhabitants,  and  the  other  of  almost  a  million,  through  the  Chris- 
tian representatives,  the  Japanese  clergymen  and  the  missionaries,  invited  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association  to  come  and  form  Associations  in  those 
cities,   and   requested   that  we  send   experienced  English  or  American   secretaries. 

One  might  go  on  and  give  details  of  the  work,  but  it  is  similar  to  your 
work  here,  and  I  have  not  time  to  touch  upon  the  industrial  possibilities.  Women 
are  in  banks,  offices  and  shops,  and  in  one  city  alone  there  are  over  forty 
thousand  girls  in  factories. 

Now  who  is  responsible  for  this  work  in  Japan?  Some  of  us  happen  to  be 
located  there,  but  we  are  not  ultimately  responsible  for  the  whole  work.  You 
here,  who  represent  the  Association  movement  in  this  country,  are  responsible 
for  the  carrying  on  of  this  work,  and  for  the  special  needs  of  the  Associations 
in  foreign  lands.  It  is  our  responsibility  to  see  that  these  young  women  of  the 
East,  growing  up  in  the  new  life  which  has  come  to  them,  and  which  is  coming 
to  them — it  is  our  responsibility  to  see  that  they  know  the  touch  of  the  loving 
Christ.  It  is  for  us  to  help  them  realize  that  the  things  which  are  eternal  are 
the   things   which   are   significant;    that  the   life   which  they   see   about   them,   the 


Miss  Caroline  Macdonald  173 

material  things,  is  not  the  real  life,  and  that  God  himself  is  the  most  real  thing 
in  the  world,  and  can  be  realized  to  be  so  in  their  daily  life. 

I  have  been  listening  very  attentively  to  the  talk  about  the  advances  that 
you  are  going  to  make  in  your  Association  work  in  this  country.  I  have  heard 
of  the  new  secretaries  that  you  are  going  to  add  to  your  staff — Miss  Barnes,  for 
example,  has  suggested  that  some  of  the  city  Associations  should  take  on  county 
secretaries — and  some  day,  when  everything  is  done  here,  you,  perhaps,  if  you 
feel  in  the  mood,  are  going  to  take  on  a  foreign  secretary.  Why  should  you  wait 
until  your  own  work  is  finally  established?  I  wonder  if  there  is  an  Association 
brave  enough,  in  the  United  States  of  America,  to  take  on  a  foreign  secretary 
before  the  home  field  is  fully  manned?  If  there  is  it  will  be  the  beginning  of  a 
new  life,  not  only  for  your  Associations  in  the  United  States,  but  for  the 
Associations  throughout  the  world. 

"  There  is  a  scattering  that  yet  increaseth,  and  there  is  a  withholding  more 
than  is  meet,  and  it  tendeth  to  poverty." 

We  talk  a  good  deal  during  these  days  about  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  Surely  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  new  life;  surely  we  are  beginning  to 
realize  that  the  only  true  Kingdom  is  the  one  in  which  the  teachings  of  Christ 
and  the  spirit  of  Christ  predominate.  Surely  also  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association  has  a  large  opportunity  even  through  its  work  at  home  to  influence 
the  womanhood  of  the  world  and  thereby  further  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom; 
because  to  the  degree  in  which  you  solve  the  social  problems  of  this  country, 
to  that  degree  are  you  helping  solve  the  social  problems  of  every  other  country. 
One  of  the  worst  stumbling  blocks  to  work  in  non-Christian  lands  is  just  our 
inability  to  solve  our  own  social  and  economic  problems  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  But  by  working  together,  with  a  great  advance  in  our  home  work  and 
a  corresponding  advance  in  our  foreign  work,  we  shall  be  able  to  do  something 
in  the  spirit  of  God  towards  bringing  to  pass  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Surely  he  cometh,  and  a  thousand  voices  call  to  the  saints,  and  the  deaf  are 
dumb.  Surely  he  cometh,  and  the  earth  rejoices,  glad  in  his  coming  who  hath 
said  "  I  come,"  and  God  grant  that  when  he  shall  appear,  we,  as  individuals 
and  as  a  corporate  body,  shall  have  confidence  and  not  be  ashamed  before  him 
at  his  coming.      {Applause.) 

The  Chairman:  I  am  sure  that  our  hearts  are  greatly  stirred  with  what  we 
have  heard  from  Miss  Hill  and  Miss  Macdonald.  We  do  realize  the  enormous 
field,  but  we  do  want  to  be  extremely  practical,  and  we  want  to  know  what  has 
been  done  in  the  past  two  years,  and  what  may  be  done  in  the  next  two  years, 
God  helping  us.  So  I  just  want  to  present  to  you,  in  two  or  three  minutes,  the 
result  of  the  work  of  the  foreign  department,  during  the  last  two  years,  and 
some  of  the  great  needs  of  the  present  time,  in  very  practical  form.  There  is 
certainly  much  for  which  to  praise  God,  in  what  has  already  been  done.  Prog- 
ress has  been  made,  and  we  do  thank  Him  that  in  two  years  you  have  been  able 
to  send  out  ten  secretaries.  It  may  be  said  that  that  is  very  small,  compared 
with  those  who  are  needed,  but  we  do  thank  God,  and  thank  you  for  the  ten 
who   have   gone.     Three    have    gone,    representing   city   Associations ;    one    repre- 


174  Third  Biennial  Convention 

senting  Wellesley  College  Alumna?  Association;  two  have  gone  supported  by 
their  own  families,  and  two  more  are  going  to  be  supported  by  their  families. 
You  will  notice  the  two  methods  of  money  being  supplied — one  by  the  city 
Association,  and  then  the  colleges  can  have  their  secretaries.  Won't  it  be  splen- 
did when  every  city  Association  has  its  own  secretary  and  when  every  college 
has  its  own  secretary  at  work  in  the  foreign  field?  Won't  it  bring  enthusiasm, 
happiness  and  joy  to  us  all  when  we  know  that  we  are  working  through  our  own 
special   representative? 

What  we  want  is  more  enthusiasm,  friends — isn't  It?  And  surely  the  two 
addresses  from  those  who  know,  will  arouse  that  enthusiasm.  Miss  Taylor  says 
that  she  wants  to  ask  for  an  increase  of  an  hundred  per  cent  before  the  next 
Biennial  Convention.     Let  us  expect  great  things.     (Applause.) 

And  now  let  me  just  tell  you  what  secretaries  are  most  urgently  needed  in 
the  next  two  years.  There  is  a  little  discrepancy  between  Miss  Taylor's  esti- 
mate and  Miss  Hill's.  In  the  next  two  years  there  are  urgently  needed  gen- 
eral secretaries  in  Calcutta,  Madras,  Bombay,  and  Rangoon,  experienced  in  city 
work.  That  is  for  India  and  Burma.  Then  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  one  is  wanted, 
experienced  in  city  work. 

Student  secretaries  are  also  wanted  for  Japan;  Miss  Taylor  says  three. 
Five  each  are  also  wanted  for  China  and  Japan,  and  one  for  India.  There  are 
specialists  also  wanted — two  physical  directors,  one  domestic  science  director, 
one  expert  stenographic  teacher,  and  one  educational  director.  The  new  fields 
wanting  help  are:  Mexico  City,  Turkey,  Bulgaria,  and  South  Africa — all  urgent. 

Friends,  this  Convention  has  meant  an  immense  amount  of  good  for  us  all, 
I  am  certain.  It  has  been  a  magnificent  Convention,  and  we  have  been  helped, 
stirred,  and  encouraged ;  we  have  felt  God's  presence  here.  We  have  had 
practical  discussions  upon  how  to  help  our  sisters,  and  how  to  go  back  home 
and  translate  into  our  own  lives  and  characters  and  work,  what  we  have  heard. 
But  it  must  mean  much  more  than  that  to  us,  after  this  afternoon's  meeting.  It 
means  for  each  one  of  us  an  individual  responsibility  that  these  sisters  should 
have  an  opportunity  of  hearing  of  the  love  of  Christ;  it  means  our  individual 
responsibility  toward  God,  for  them,  also.  Do  remember  that  no  missionary 
societies  are  doing  this  work.  Missionary  societies  are  asking  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Associations  to  go  in  and  do  this  work  that  is  really  needed,  and  it  is 
only  through  this  blessed,  loving  sisterhood  that  we  can  help. 

Now  we  are  going  home  with  great  enthusiasm.  But  do  not  let  us  be  limited 
to  our  little  corner  of  work;  let  us  take  home  with  us  some  of  the  needs  of 
the  great  world  in  our  hearts.  Let  us  realize  that  we  cannot  all  go  to  these 
foreign  lands,  to  take  up  this  great  work.  Many  cannot  go  and  devote  their  lives 
to  this  work,  but  everyone  can  help. 

I  want  to  ask  you,  everyone,  to  do  what  you,  in  the  beginning,  promised 
to  do  for  us — and  that  is  to  pray.  I  want  you  to  pray  that  kind  of  a  prayer  that 
means  hard  work,  definite,  persistent,  continuous,  that  kind  of  prayer  after  which 
things  happen;  wonderful  miracles,  perhaps,  happen.  We  don't  know  how  it 
happens,  but  those  at  home   have  been   praying  and  the  answer  comes.     Perhaps 


Business  of  the  Convention  175 

it  is  easier  to  suggest  that  we  concentrate  on  one  country;  that  we  should  make 
ourselves  acquainted  with  that  one  country,  by  reading  and  learning  all  we  can 
about  it,  by  knowing  the  names  of  the  secretaries  who  are  there,  and  by  praying 
very,  very  definitely  for  that  place. 

We  are  quite  sure  that  our  dear  secretaries  on  the  field,  need  all  our  help 
by  prayer,  that  their  faith  may  be  strengthened,  and  that  their  hands  may  be  held 
up  in  great  difficulties. 

Some,  perhaps,  may  be  able  also  to  help  with  money.  Those  who  will,  I 
am  sure  will  rejoice  to  do  so  when  they  realize  what  the  needs  are.  But,  oh, 
may  it  be  said  of  each  one  of  us,  whether  it  be  little  or  much  that  we  can  do, 
in  the  words  of  the  Master,  "  She  hath  done  what  she  could."  That  is  all  we 
want.  That  is  all  he  asks  of  us.  If  he  will  show  us  what  that  is,  I  believe  that 
we  shall  get,  in  the  next  two  years,  in  this  splendid  country,  and  with  this  splen- 
did Association,  all  that  we  are  asking  for  now. 

There  is  a  beautiful  recent  scientific  discovery,  that  the  same  electric  dis- 
charge that  disperses  clouds  and  fogs,  and  darkness,  also  enriches  the  soil.  Isn't 
it  true  of  this  beautiful  work?  We  know  that  this  will  help  to  dispel  fog  and 
darkness  among  our  dear  sisters,  who  are  living  in  superstition  and  without  God. 
I  am  quite  sure  that  in  the  giving  of  prayer,  and  help,  and  secretaries — even, 
may  I  say,  in  suffering  our  very  best  to  go — we  shall  also  be  greatly  enriched 
as  never  before,  and  find  that  God  is  blessing  us  and  blessing  our  home  work 
as  we  never  could  have  dared  to  hope  or  expect. 

Now,  before  we  close  with  one  verse  of  a  hymn.  Miss  Taylor  will  lead 
us  in  a  short  intercession. 

Miss  Harriet  Taylor,  New  York  City:  I  hope  that  we  shall  never  have 
a  convention  when  we  cannot  quietly  and  unitedly  remember  those  who  represent 
us  in  the  field.  And  so  we  will  bow  our  heads,  and  I  will  read  the  names  of 
our  secretaries,  without  comment,  so  that  you  may  breathe  a  prayer  for  them. 
I  hope,  if  you  know  them  personally,  you  will  whisper  some  personal  petition; 
but  if  not,  let  us,  in  a  united  way,  ask  that  they  be  empowered.  I  think  that 
they  ought  to  feel  that  at  some  time  during  the  National  Convention  they  are 
being  remembered. 

Agnes  Hill,  National  Secretary  of  North  India;  our  first  secretary  on  the 
foreign  field;  Mary  Hill,  Secretary  of  Lahore,  India;  Laura  Radford,  Secretary 
of  Calcutta;  Frances  Cross,  Secretary  of  Madras;  Lela  Guitner,  Secretary  of 
Colombo;  Mary  Rutherford,  Secretary  of  Bombay;  Mary  Bentley,  Calcutta 
student  work;  Estella  Paddock,  National  Secretary  of  China;  Grace  Coppock, 
Secretary  of  Shanghai;  Margaret  Matthew,  Secretary  of  Tokio;  Alice  Fitch, 
Shanghai.  All  of  these  were  out  on  the  field  before  our  last  Convention.  The 
names  that  I  will  now  call,  have  gone  out  since  we  met  at  St.  Paul:  Mary  Kerr, 
from  Indianapolis,  now  in  Tokio;  Mary  Thomas,  Buenos  Ayres;  Dora  Maya 
Das,  first  Indian  national  student  secretary,  belongs  to  us,  because  the  Asso- 
ciation is  supporting  her;  Edith  Wells,  Peking;  Florence  Lang,  Colombo,  Ceylon; 
Elizabeth  Wistar,  Bombay;  Louise  Wright,  physical  director,  Calcutta;  Lucy 
Jones,  Madras;   Frances  Taft,  North  China;  Ruth  Paxson,  North  China. 


176  Third  Biennial  Convention 

With  the  singing  of  a  hymn,  on  motion  the  convention  adjourned. 

Monday  Evening 

The  Convention  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  with  Mrs.  C.  J. 
Buchanan  in  the  Chair. 

Devotions  were  led  by  the  Rev.  Harry  Blunt,  pastor  of  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church,  of  Indianapolis.  Music  was  rendered  by  a  quartette 
from  the  Matinee  Musicale. 

The  Chairman  then  introduced  Robert  E.  Speer,  Ph.D.,  of  New  York, 
Secretary  for  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
who  addressed  the  Convention  on  "  Some  Things  to  be  Desired  in  the 
Christianity  of  To-day."      (Applause.) 

Mr.  Speer:  Whoever  sits  down  to  a  careful  study  of  the  religious  condi- 
tions of  our  country  to-day,  in  comparison  with  the  corresponding  conditions  a 
hundred  years  ago,  will  rise  from  his  study  with  gratitude  and  new  courage. 
There  are  those,  I  know,  who  tell  us  that  the  result  of  such  a  comparison  will 
be  otherwise.  But  these  people  either  look  out  on  the  present  with  a  pessimistic 
view,  or  their  knowledge  of  the  conditions  that  existed  a  hundred  years  ago, 
is  inadequate. 

In  the  year  1800  only  seven  out  of  every  hundred  of  our  population,  were 
found  in  the  communicant  membership  of  our  evangelical  churches.  To-day 
I  think  the  percentage  is  twenty-eight.  This  fourfold  increase  in  the  last  hundred 
years,  marks  not  only  a  great  mathematical  growth  in  the  power  of  Christi- 
anity in  America,  but  it  also  symbolizes,  I  believe,  a  great  change  for  the  bet- 
ter, in  its  quality.  We  have  a  better  Christian  leadership  in  America  to-day 
than  we  ever  had  before.  The  great  multitudes  of  Christian  people  to-day,  rep- 
resent a  higher  standard  of  Christian  character,  of  purer  moral  life,  and  better 
understanding  of  Christian  truth,  than  characterized  the  Christian  people  of 
our  land  a  hundred  years  ago. 

The  whole  general  attitude  of  the  country  toward  religion  also  has  un- 
dergone in  these  hundred  years,  a  radical  and  revolutionary  change.  In  the 
year  1796  the  United  States  made  a  treaty  with  the  government  of  Tripoli,  in 
which  it  was  explicitly  declared  by  our  government  that  "  the  government  of 
the  United  States  of  America  is  not  in  any  sense  founded  on  the  Christian 
religion  as  it  has  in  itself  no  characters  of  enmity  against  the  laws,  religion, 
or  tranquillity  of  Mussulmans.  No  pretext  arising  from  religious  opinions  shall 
ever  produce  an  interruption  of  the  harmony  existing  between  the  two  countries." 
Contrast  with  the  official  utterance  of  the  United  States  in  the  treaty,  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  1892,  in  the  case  of  the  alien 
labor  contract  law.  The  particular  case  was  one  in  which  an  objection  was 
raised  to  the  importation  of  a  foreign  minister  to  the  effect  that  the  contract 
with  him  was  in  violation  of  the  terms  of  the  alien  labor  contract  law,  and  the 


Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  177 

Supreme  Court  overthrew  the  complaint  on  the  ground  that  no  purpose  of  action 
against  religion  could  be  read  into  any  legislation  in  America,  that  the  United 
States  Government  rested  on  religion — and  that  it  did  not  rest  on  Buddhism 
or  Mohammedanism — but  on  the  Christian  religion.  And  this  highest  court  of 
our  land,  recognizing  the  Christian  character  of  the  American  people,  cited 
judicial  decision  and  a  great  volume  of  unofficial  declarations  to  confirm  the 
judgment  of  the  court  and  many  state  courts,  that  the  United  States  was  not 
only  a  religious  nation,  but  a  nation  founded  on  the  Christian  religion.  The 
beautiful  irony  of  it  all  was  that  this  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  written 
by  the  son  of  an  American  missionary  to  a  Mohammedan  land ! 

The  last  hundred  years  have  witnessed  a  great  and  hopeful  change  in  the 
whole  attitude  of  our  land  toward  the  subject  of  religion.  I  believe  that  there 
never  was  a  country  in  the  history  of  the  world,  where  there  was  as  much 
true  religion  as  there  is  in  our  land  to-day.  I  believe  that  there  are  more  good 
Christian  men  and  better  Christian  men  in  our  land  to-day,  than  were  found 
in  the  first  century  of  the  Christian   Church. 

It  is  out  of  this  optimistic  view  that  I  wish  to  speak  this  evening,  of  some 
of  the  deficiencies  in  our  current  Christianity,  some  of  the  needs  which  are  to 
be,  and  which  it  falls  to  us,  in  a  measure,  to  seek  to  supply.  What  I  have  to 
say  is  not  merely  my  own  speculation  about  the  situation.  I  am  going  to  suggest 
half  a  dozen  needs  that  came  out  in  a  little  conference  at  which  I  was  present 
not  long  ago  attended  by  about  twenty  men  who  are  prominent  in  the  diflFerent 
Christian  movements  of  our  day.  This  particular  group  of  men  is  accustomed 
to  set  aside  one  day  each  fall  in  which  they  go  apart  to  talk  together  of  their 
past  experiences  and  of  their  outlook  upon  the  present  conditions  of  the  land, 
and  to  measure,  as  far  as  they  are  able,  the  particular  needs,  which,  during 
the  coming  year,  they  must  give  their  lives  to  meet.  In  the  last  meeting  of  this 
little  conference  the  question  was  raised.  What  are  the  outstanding  deficiencies 
and  perils  in  Christianity  in  our  land  to-day?  What  I  am  going  to  say  is 
simply  a  comment  on  the  six  or  seven  suggestions  made  in  that  conference. 

These  men  were  all  agreed,  in  the  first  place,  that  one  great  need  of 
Christianity  to-day  is  more  reasoned,  religious  conviction.  There  is  a  certain 
mood  with  which  we  have  to  deal  to-day,  that  is  doubtless  the  product  of  an 
excess  of  emphasis  on  creedal  opinion.  That  we  have  gone  to  the  opposite 
excess  to-day  is  beyond  all  dispute.  There  are  those  who  tell  us  that  it  doesn't 
matter  any  longer,  what  men  think — especially  on  the  subject  of  religion.  To  be 
sure,  it  is  rather  a  comfort  to  have  a  man  put  the  thing  in  this  way,  because 
it  always  gives  us  the  easy  retort,  that  on  his  own  theory  it  doesn't  matter  to 
us  what  he  thinks.  But  could  anything  be  more  preposterous  than  that  it  doesn't 
matter  what  people  think?  If  there  is  anything  in  the  world  that  matters,  it  is 
what  men  think.  It  was  all  that  concerned  our  Lord  when  he  was  here.  "  What 
think  ye  of  me?"  Men  were  to  love  God,  he  taught,  with  their  minds.  What 
they  thought,  he  held,  was  the  central  and  determining  thing  about  them.  Out 
of  that,  all  acts  and  conduct  flowed. 

There  is  nothing  that  matters  so  much  as  the  holding  of  true   and  positive 


178  Third  Biennial  Convention 

convictions;  and  nothing  is  more  essential  in  our  land  to-day  than  that  men 
and  women  should  think  through  to  fundamental  Christian  opinions,  know  what 
it  is  that  they  hold  and  why  it  is  that  they  hold  it.  We  all  of  us  know  how 
many  men  and  women  we  meet  every  day  who  could  not  give  us  the  reaion 
for  their  holding  any  single  Christian  conviction.  If  you  ask  them  why  they 
believe  in  God,  they  would  be  hard  put  to,  to  tell  you.  If  you  should  ask  them 
what  they  thought  about  Christ,  they  might  say  that  they  hold  this  or  that 
view  regarding  him,  but  if  you  asked  them  why,  they  would  be  at  a  loss  to 
give  you  reasons  for  their  view.  Even  among  ourselves,  if  we  should  take  the 
Apostles'  Creed,  for  example,  and  say  it  through:  "I  believe  in  God  the  Father 
Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  in  Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our 
Lord,"  and  ask  ourselves  why  we  believe  each  one  of  those  assertions,  I  suspect 
many  of  us  would  find  it  an  all  too  exacting  task  to  answer.  But  we  ought  to 
pick  out  at  least  four  of  these  great  assertions:  "I  believe  in  God,  the  Father; 
I  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  our  Lord;  I  believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins; 
I  believe  in  the  communion  of  the  saints,"  and  ask  ourselves.  What  do  I  mean 
when  I  say  I  believe  these  things?     Why  do  I  believe  these  things? 

Men's  power  rests,  in  the  last  analysis,  on  the  depths,  on  the  certitude,  on 
the  truth  of  their  convictions.  I  like  to  read  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel 
of  St.  John,  with  that  marvelous  explanatory  interpretation  of  our  Lord's  great 
act  of  human  service,  which  John  gives  when  he  tells  us  that  Jesus,  knowing  that 
the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  came  from  God,  and 
went  unto  God,  arose  from  supper  and  girded  himself  with  a  towel,  and  took 
a  basin  and  washed  his  disciples'  feet.  Why  did  he  do  it?  Knowing  that  the 
Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  came  from  God  and 
went  to  God,  he  stooped  and  served.  And  the  only  way  in  which  the  world  is 
ever  to  be  taught  to  stoop  and  serve,  is  by  learning  those  three  great  certitudes 
that  underlay  our  Lord's  stooping  to  wash  his  disciples'  feet.  One  primary  need 
in  the  religious  life  of  our  land  to-day  is  this  need  of  reasoned,  religious  belief, 
and  of  reasoned  religious  belief  on  these  three  points  about  which  our  Lord  was 
unmistakably  clear. 

The  second  need  that  this  little  group  of  men  suggested  as  among  the  things 
to  be  desired  in  the  religious  life  of  our  land  to-day,  was  more  actual  experience 
of  Christ.  Now,  I  suppose  there  never  was  a  day  when  Jesus  Christ  was  so 
much  admired  as  he  is  to-day.  But  Christ  never  asked  to  be  admired.  He  asked 
to  be  experienced.  Christianity  was  not  when  he  brought  it,  nor  is  it  now,  an 
idealistic  effort.  Christianity  was  and  is  a  supernatural  life,  and  while  it  is  a 
fine  thing  to  have  our  Lord  admired  as  he  is  to-day,  the  great  fundamental  need 
of  the  land  is  more  actual  experience  of  Christ,  a  real  living  knowledge  of  him. 

I  am  at  liberty  to  quote  a  letter  from  a  friend  who,  a  few  months  ago, 
moved  forward  into  this  new  experience,  which  is  yet  but  the  repetition  of  the 
evangelical  experience  of  all  the  Christian  generation: 

"  I  must  try  to  tell  you  something  of  what  has  been  done  for  me. 

"  This   summer   has   been   the   occasion   of   an   utterly   new   experience   in   my 


Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  179 

Christian  life.  It  is  so  new  and  so  diflFerent  that  I  am  sometimes  tempted  to 
wonder  whether  my  old  life,  in  its  meagerness  and  barrenness,  ever  was  Chris- 
tian. The  truth  is  simply  that  in  some  miraculous,  revolutionizing  way  our 
Saviour  and  Master,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  has  given  himself  to  me  in  a  way 
that  I  never  before  knew  was  possible. 

"  The  experience  commenced  on  a  Sunday,  August  14,  when  I  was  facing 
a  week  of  daily  responsibility,  for  which  I  knew  I  was  miserably,  hopelessly  in- 
competent and  unfit.  For  a  year  back  I  had  been  getting  hints,  from  various 
sources,  that  there  was  a  conception  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  one  who  wanted  to  take 
me  into  his  own  spiritual  body,  and  who  wanted  to  enter  into  my  body,  my 
mind,  my  soul  and  spirit,  in  a  fulness  and  a  literalness  that  I  did  not  know. 
On  that  Sunday  morning  I  prayed  at  length  that,  if  there  was  a  conception  and 
an  experience  of  Christ  which  I  did  not  have,  God  would  give  it  to  me.  And  in 
his  long-suffering  forgiveness  and  love  he  did  so.  A  sermon  that  I  had  with 
me  on  '  To  me  to  live  is  Christ '  helped  me  greatly. 

"  I  know  the  meaning  of  that  verse  now.  And  from  that  hour  to  this,  every 
fact  and  factor  in  my  life  has  been  different.  The  experience  began  seven  weeks 
ago;  but  it  has  continued  with  unbroken  and  steadily  increasing  reality  and  power 
and  blessing  ever  since.  I  do  not  understand  it.  The  mystery  of  it  deepens  with 
every  passing  day.  So  does  the  victory.  Christ  in  me  has  given  me  habitual 
victories  over  my  old  besetting  sins,  that  I  never  knew  before.  There  is  a 
mountain-height  of  steadily  sustained  fellowship  with  him  that  is  heaven.  Life  is 
simply  tingling  joy.  There  is  a  new  creation.  Everything  is  changed ;  my  prayer- 
life,  the  Bible,  my  Christian  service,  all  my  relationships  with  others,  my  work, 
everything. 

"  Christ  is  able  to  use  me  as  I  would  never  let  him  before.  My  two  most 
intimate  friends,  men  of  my  own  age  and  long-time  Christians,  have  had  their 
lives  as  completely  broken  down  and  made  over  as  mine  was.  Eleven  of  my 
fellow-workers  in  our  office  have  been  reached  by  it,  some  as  profoundly  as  I ; 
it  promises  to  continue  there — I  am  praying  and  believing  and  working  for  this — 
until  our  office  is  revolutionized  for  and  by  Christ. 

"  Galatians  2:20  expresses  my  own  experience  better  than  any  other  one  verse, 
but  the  whole  of  Ephesians  teems  with  it,  especially  3:14-19,  'Filled  unto  all  the 
fulness  of  God.'  If  Paul  had  not  said  that,  we  would  not  dare  to  think  of  it  or 
say  it. 

"  Praise  God  with  me  for  his  forgiving  goodness.  Ask  him  that  I  may  let 
Christ  hold  me  unswervingly  true  now,  to  every  use  that  he  wants  to  make  of  me. 

"  P.  S.  No,  I  have  no  unbalanced  notions  about  sinlessness  or  perfection. 
There  are  plenty  of  sins  and  failures  still,  but  Christ  has  brought  the  fighting, 
even  the  failures,  on  to  higher  ground ;  the  restorations  after  conscious  failure  are 
almost  instantaneous;  and  the  victories  he  keeps  winning  are  bewilderingly 
blessed." 

Have  we  passed  into  this  experience?  Do  we  know  Christ  in  this  living  way? 
Could  we  say  with  any  measure  of  truth  what  St.  Paul  said,  "  I  am  crucified  with 


180  Third  Biennial  Convention 

Christ:  nevertheless  I  live;  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me"?  If  men  once  in 
this  way  really  experience  Christ,  all  difficulty  vanishes  from  the  miracle  of  his 
earthly  history,  and  the  spiritual  realities  of  life  become  its  dominating  realities. 
And  the  third  thing  which  these  men  suggested  was  the  inadequacy  and  the 
unnoticeableness  of  the  moral  superiority  of  Christians  over  those  who  are  not 
Christians.  Now,  there  are  two  different  ways  of  putting  this.  People  tell  us, 
on  the  one  hand,  that  there  are  so  many  hypocrites  inside  the  church  that  the 
standard  of  moral  living  inside  is  just  as  low  as  it  is  outside.  And  on  the  other 
hand,  people  tell  us  that  there  are  so  many  good  people  outside  the  church  that 
the  standard  of  moral  living  outside  of  the  church  is  just  as  high  as  it  is  in. 
There  is  a  great  measure  of  truth  in  each  of  these  views,  and  the  truth  that  is 
in  each  of  them  is  a  great  tribute  to  the  living,  dominant,  massive  power  of 
Christianity;  for  the  presence  of  hypocrites  inside  the  church  is  an  indication  of 
their  desire  to  hide  themselves  under  that  which  is  recognized  to  be  superior; 
and  the  presence  of  so  much  real  Christian  morality  outside  the  church  is  only 
a  testimony  to  the  coming  of  that  for  which  we  prayed  a  few  moments  ago — 
the  permeation  of  all  human  society  by  the  mind  and  spirit  of  Christ.  We 
rejoice  that  the  influence  of  Christianity  has  wrought,  far  beyond  the  bounds  of 
the  organized  church,  in  improving  and  purifying  and  uplifting  the  whole  life 
of  man.  Nevertheless,  so  long  as  a  Christian  is  not  visibly,  and  unmistakably 
and  indisputably  a  better  man,  or  a  better  woman,  than  a  man  or  a  woman 
who  is  not  a  Christian,  all  Christian  apologetics  will  lose  some  of  their  power. 
If  we  cannot  produce  inside  the  Christian  church  a  moral  purity  which  the 
world  cannot  equal ;  if  we  cannot  produce  inside  the  Christian  church  a  passion 
for  truth  which  no  man  of  science  ever  can  possess,  alone;  if  we  cannot  show 
inside  the  church  a  spiritual  tenderness,  a  wealth  of  beauty  of  human  service 
which  cannot  be  produced  outside  of  the  church,  and  of  the  influences  that  spring 
from  that  relationship  to  Jesus  Christ  which  is  the  core  of  the  Christian  church, 
my  friends,  I  tell  you  our  cause  is  hopeless.  If  outside  the  church  men  can 
achieve  the  same  purity,  the  same  truth,  the  same  service  that  is  achieved  inside 
the  church  with  the  help  of  Christ,  then  all  men  do  not  require  the  help  of 
Christ;  they  can  do  without  him.  We  shall  have  to  demonstrate  by  the  superiority 
of  the  fruits  that  Christ  produces  in  us,  the  impossibility  of  achieving  those 
results  save  under  that  contact  with  Christ  which  we  claim  to  be  the  dominant 
motive  and  the  transforming  power  in  our  own  lives.  That  is  the  third  great 
need  of  the  day.  In  every  college  from  which  any  of  you  come,  the  Christian 
women  should  be,  by  a  wide  chasm,  better  in  character,  in  passion  for  truth, 
in  all  loving  gentleness  and  service,  than  any  women  can  be  who  have  not 
connection  with  Christ.  In  all  the  communities  from  which  we  come  it  should 
not  be  necessary  for  us  to  stand  up  and  say,  "  I  believe  in  God,  the  Father," 
and  the  other  articles  of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  to  demonstrate  to  the  world  the 
reality  of  our  Christian  faith.  What  we  are  should  be  its  irrefutable  demonstra- 
tion and  a  proclamation,  so  pure,  so  clear,  so  irresistible,  that  just  to  live  should 
be  the  daily  announcement  to  all  men,  of  the  saving  power  of  the  Savior.  That 
is  the  third  great  need. 


Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  181 

The  fourth  great  need  these  men  pointed  out,  in  their  little  gathering,  was 
an  attempt — and  it  came  home  to  this  particular  group — to  avoid  the  excessive 
over-manipulation  of  the  existing  religious  forces  of  the  day,  and  to  set  to  work 
to  create  new  religious  forces.  This  little  group  of  men  were  carrying  on  I 
suppose  a  score  of  different  religious  enterprises,  and  every  new  one  that  was 
started  drew  on  the  energies  of  this  little  group  of  men.  We  know  how  easy  it  is 
to  do  this.  Movement  after  movement  is  started,  the  primary  purpose  of  which 
is  to  enlarge  the  bounds  of  the  Christian  church,  to  gather  in  the  men  and  the 
women  who  are  outside  the  Christian  church,  and  before  it  has  gone  very  far, 
lo  and  behold,  it  has  metamorphosed  itself  and  it  is  simply  a  new  move- 
ment for  stirring  up  Christians  to  do  something  new  or  something  old  in 
a  new  way.  Well,  much  of  this  is  useful  enough,  but  the  whole  business 
is  getting  to  be  debilitating — this  piling  on  of  the  harness  until  the  poor 
beasts  cannot  do  any  more  than  to  carry  their  harness,  not  to  speak  of  draw- 
ing the  load  that  is  waiting  to  be  drawn.  One  of  the  greatest  dangers  of 
to-day  is  the  perpetual  multiplication  of  our  machinery,  until  at  last  it  takes 
all  our  motive  power  to  drive  our  wheels,  without  accomplishing  any  of  the 
ends  for  which  our  machinery  exists.  We  need  to  be  strong  enough  to  shake 
ourselves  free  from  the  slavery  of  our  mechanism.  You  know  how  religious 
movements  start;  they  start  with  a  true  spontaneous  impulse.  Christianity  had 
no  organization  at  the  beginning.  Our  Lord,  we  know,  was  a  master  in  his 
understanding  of  men,  and  if  he  had  wished  he  could  have  built  up  the  most 
perfect  organization  ever  erected  on  the  earth.  You  know  how  studiously  he 
refused  to  do  anything  of  the  kind.  His  disciples  asked  of  him,  again  and  again, 
"Who  of  us  is  to  be  first  when  thou  are  gone?  Arrange  us  in  our  order,  assign 
us  to  our  work."  Never  one  word  in  reply.  He  who  was  the  master  organizing 
hand  of  all  humanity,  died  without  having  done  a  thing  to  perpetuate  his  king- 
dom by  organization.  And  it  was  generations  before  the  elaborate  organization 
came.  I  do  not  mean  that  the  organization  is  not  necessary;  that  organization  and 
spontaneity  are  not  better  than  spontaneity  alone.  I  believe  that  they  are.  But  it 
is  well  nigh  impossible  to  keep  the  two  balanced.  The  great  religious  move- 
ments of  the  world  have  never  spread  on  wheels ;  they  have  always  run  on 
souls.  Buddhism  spread  over  the  Eastern  world  not  by  building  up  great  mis- 
sionary organizations,  but  in  part  at  least  by  spontaneous  movement.  There  are 
to-day  no  great  Mohammedan  religious  organizations  like  ours;  there  are  no 
great  Mohammedan  missionary  treasuries.  How  resistlessly  the  great  tide  of 
propagandism  is  moving  south  over  Central  Africa!  And  why?  Because  the 
spontaneous  power  of  discipleship  and  conviction  is  there.  And  we  need  to  be 
aware  lest  in  the  perfecting  of  our  organization,  we  should  lose  the  thing  that  is 
indispensable,  for  which  all  organization  exists,  the  living  contact  of  soul  with 
soul  and  the  pouring  out  of  life  upon  life.  That  is  the  fourth  great  need  of 
Christianity  in  our  day. 

And  I  am  at  a  loss  to  state  the  next.  Maybe  I  can  put  it  best  positively. 
We  need  to  drive  through  life  a  more  fearless  faith  in  the  supernatural,  in  the 
living,   personal   God.     I   was   going  to  put  it  negatively — that  one  of   the  great 


182  Third  Biennial  Convention 

weaknesses  of  our  time,  is  what  you  might  call  the  desupernaturalism  of  our 
life.  We  have  identified  God  with  the  will;  all  that  is  done,  the  will  does  for 
itself  and  the  great  living,  personal  God  we  have  come  nigh  to  losing.  We 
need  to  believe  with  a  new  belief,  with  a  great,  firm,  conquering  faith  in  the 
presence  in  the  world  of  a  living,  personal  God.  It  is  not  so  with  a  great  many 
of  us.  All  that  is  done  we  do  with  the  thought  of  God.  God  is  just  ourselves 
working  for  God.  But  God  is  vastly  more  than  this  and  we  can't  lose  him  then, 
out  of  reality.  And,  indeed,  we  shall  not  lose  him.  So  long  as  we  conceive  of 
God  as  our  Father,  we  cannot  lose.  Read  the  words  of  Christ,  "  My  Father," 
"Oh,  my  Father,"  "My  righteous  Father";  so  long  as  in  each  of  us  is  a  filial 
heart  we  cannot  lose  God.    He  will  be  more  than  we  and  other  than  we. 

And  death  will  help  too.  St.  Paul  speaks  of  death  as  our  enemy;  but  in 
Christian  apologetics  we  have  no  better  friend.  Let  death  once  touch  a  man's 
life,  let  it  quiet  some  little  voice  in  his  home,  let  it  still  forever  some  little  run- 
ning feet,  let  it  make  a  great  chasm  in  the  group  of  those  he  loves  best,  at  last 
let  its  shadow  fall  across  his  own  life,  and  the  walls  that  separated  him  from 
that  real  world,  grow  thin,  and  begin  to  fall,  and  he  knows,  then,  that  God  was 
something  more  than  a  mood  touching  men's  souls,  that  the  natural  order  is  not 
only  not  all  but  not  much  and  that  this  little  thing  that  we  call  life  is  only  a  pre- 
paratory school  for  a  career  that  is  the  reality.  More  and  more  we  need,  our- 
selves, to  lay  hold  of  the  great,  deep  conviction  in  the  living  God,  in  whom  our 
fathers  believed  as  here  and  now,  in  us  and  over  us.  All  is  right  with  the 
world,  not  only  because  God  is  in  it,  but  because,  also,  God  is  in  his  heaven. 

And  once  more,  we  need  in  our  Christianity  to-day  a  clearer  discernment 
of  the  indispensable  reality  of  the  corporate  life,  just  what  the  best  type  of 
socialism  is  feeling  after.  Pure  individualism  has  done  its  work,  and  it  has 
been  a  good  work;  but  after  all,  it  is  not  life,  at  all.  Pure  individualism,  if  you 
could  ever  attain  it,  would  be  the  extinction  of  personality,  for  a  person  is  a  being 
with   relations,   and   life   consists   not  in   isolation,   but   in   relationships. 

This  great  movement  that  we  see  to-day — may  God  speed  it — of  the  gather- 
ing together  into  one,  of  all  the  great  branches  of  the  Christian  church — what  is 
it  but  our  groping  after  our  long  hidden  and  undisclosed  resources,  which  are  only 
to  be  made  ours,  at  last,  when  we  know  the  power  of  the  corporate  life!  Deep 
down  in  our  hearts  now,  we  know  ourselves  all  to  be  one,  and  I  believe  that 
there  are  great  spiritual  gifts  which  are  withheld  from  us  until  we  attain  to  that 
corporate  oneness  in  reality. 

You  know  the  power  that  comes  from  a  single  human  love;  when  one  life 
is  bound  to  another  life  the  impossible  can  be  achieved.  How  many  times  has 
a  mother's  love  done  the  thing  that  could  not  be  done!  How  many  times  has 
death  itself  been  rolled  back  by  the  power  of  human  love!  When  at  last  all  the 
children  of  God,  all  the  friends  of  Christ,  are  united  in  the  reality  of  his  own 
life,  the  supernatural  powers  that  were  in  him  will  be  in  them,  in  that  cor- 
porate unity,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  do  again  what  men  did  in  the  days  when 
men  were  fused   into  one  in   Christ. 

And   last  of  all,  these  men  spoke  of  the  supreme  need  in  the  Christianity  of 


Mr.  Robert  E.  Speer  183 

our  day  of  great  and  commanding  spiritual  objectives.  Christianity  is  life,  and 
life  is  a  movement,  and  there  can  be  no  movement  except  toward  a  mark,  toward 
a  goal.  What  are  the  marks,  or  goals  toward  which  our  life  is  directed?  The 
great  weakness  of  our  Christian  life  has  been  that  it  possessed  no  clearly  defined, 
no  great  commanding,  dominating,  sovereign,  spiritual  objectives.  We  need  those 
in  our  personal  characters.  We  need  these  to  set  before  us  the  possibilities  in 
Christian  life  and  Christian  work,  infinitely  beyond  anything  that  we  have  ever 
dreamed  of.  We  might  be  so  much  richer,  so  much  better,  so  much  purer,  so 
much  holier,  so  much  nobler  men  and  women  than  we  are.  And  what  the  Christian 
church  in  our  land  needs — what,  thank  God,  it  is  increasingly  being  given — is  the 
great,  commanding  spiritual  objective,  of  a  world  to  be  conquered,  and  to  be 
conquered  now.  Could  there  be  anything  more  enticing,  more  inviting,  more  in- 
spiring for  us  to  think  about  as  we  separate  this  evening,  than  the  limitless 
possibilities  of  life,  in  service  and  in  character,  that  unfold  before  us,  in  Christ? 
Ours  is  not  a  little  ministry.  All  things  are  ours,  Christ  is  ours,  the  world  is 
ours,  life  and  death  are  ours,  if  only  we  will  recognize  that  we  are  his.  Can  we 
not  lift  up  our  eyes  to  discern  that  the  task  given  us  to  do  is  not  greater  than 
the  power  which  is  offered  us  for  its  doing,  by  him  who  assured  us,  as  he  gave 
us  the  task,  that  all  authority  and  strength  were  his,  and  that  he  would  be 
with  us — how  far  ?  Unto  the  end  of  the  world,  unto  the  end  of  time,  to  the 
bottom,  the  depth  of  all  human  need.  Would  that,  passing  back  over  all  the 
barren  wastes,  the  long  deserts,  the  weakness  and  discontent  and  insufficiency, 
we  might  all  again  come  to  Christ,  the  same  Christ  who  was  here  nineteen  cen- 
turies ago,  and  who  is  here  to-day,  and  who  is  saying  to-day  just  what,  on  that 
last  great  day  of  the  feast,  he  said  then,  to  men  and  women  in  their  need, 
to  us  in  our  need,  "  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink " — 
"  and  drink," — "  and  drink,"  and  out  of  the  depths  of  his  life  shall  pour  the 
torrents  of  living  water.  Thither,  before  we  go,  oh  my  friends,  let  us  come 
to-night  and  drink,  deep,  deep,  deep,  and  be  satisfied. 

After  the  singing  of  Hymn  47,  "  God,  the  Rock  of  Ages,"  the  bene- 
diction was  pronounced. 

The  Chairman  (Mrs.  C.  J.  Buchanan).  The  Third  Biennial  Con- 
vention of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  of  the  United  States 
of  America  is  now  adjourned  sine  die. 


LIST   OF   DELEGATES 

TO    THE    BIENNIAL    CONVENTION 
NATIONAL   BOARD    MEMBERS 


Allan,    Mrs.   Elizabeth  Preston. 
Baker,   Mrs.   Stephen. 
Barnes,   Mrs.  Lemuel   C. 
Broadwell,  Mrs.  Samuel  J. 
Burwell,  Mrs.  Edward  B. 
Cushman,   Mrs.   James   S. 
Daeniker,    Miss   Maude. 
Dodge,  Miss  Grace  H. 
Durkee,  Mrs.  F.  L. 
Gilbert,    Mrs.    Fred    M. 
Gould,  Miss  Helen  Miller. 


Green,  Mrs.  Henry  W. 
Hoskins,  Mrs.  J.  H. 
Jenkinson,   Mrs.   R.   C. 
Keep,  Miss  Helen  E. 
MacArthur,  Miss  Gertrude  E. 
Mastick,    Mrs.    Seabury    Cone. 
Messer,  Mrs.  Wilbur  L. 
Reynolds,  Miss  Annie  M. 
Richardson,   Mrs.   J.   B. 
Slocum,   Mrs.  Wm.   F. 
Swinburne,  Mrs.   G.  K. 


SECRETARIES  AND    SPECIAL   WORKERS    OF   THE   NATIONAL   BOARD 


Allen,   Miss  Mary  Louise. 
Barnes,    Miss    Helen    F. 
Boies,    Miss   Elizabeth. 
Brown,  Dr.  Anna  L. 
Brown,   Miss   Augusta. 
Bushnell,   Miss   Mary. 
Butler,   Miss  Eliza   R. 
Clute,  Miss  Susan  M. 
Cratty,   Miss   Mabel. 
Dabb,  Miss  Edith  M. 
Dow,   Miss   Caroline  B. 
Dunham,  Miss  Marcia. 
Geary,   Miss  Blanche. 
Griffith,   Miss   Gertrude   E. 
Hays,    Miss   Emma. 
Holmquist,    Miss    Louise. 
Holloway,     Miss    Cecelia    H. 


Long,  Miss  Lillian  L. 
MacKinlay,    Miss    Margaret, 
Robinson,   Miss  M.   L. 
Roelofs,    Miss    Henrietta. 
Schrote,   Miss   Louise. 
Scott,   Miss   Katherine   H. 
Seaburg,    Miss    Anna. 
Simms,  Miss  Florence. 
Stanton,  Miss  Edith  N. 
Taylor,   Miss  Harriet. 
Terry,   Miss   Edith   B. 
Thoburn,   Miss  Helen. 
Thomas,  Miss  Helen  L. 
Viele,  Miss  Lois  J. 
W^ilbur,   Miss  Theresa   M. 
Wilson,    Miss    Elizabeth. 


185 


186 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


FRATERNAL    DELEGATES 


Toronto,  Canada. 
Anderson,  Miss  Janet  S. 
Lane,  Miss  K.  E. 
Little,  Miss  Susie. 
Corresponding  Secretary  World's  Com- 
mittee. 
Stevenson,   Miss   Ethel. 
Member    of    World's    Committee,    Lon- 
don. 
Tottenhann,  Miss  Grace  M. 
President    of    the    World's    Committee, 
London. 
Tritton,  Mrs.  J.  H. 


Calvados,   France. 

Bidgrain,  Mile.   Suzanne. 
Lahore,   India. 

Hill,  Miss  Mary  B. 
Madras,  India. 

Cross,  Miss  M.  Frances. 
Japan. 

Fisher,  Mrs.   C.  H.   D. 
Tokyo,  Japan. 

Macdonald,   Miss   A.   Caroline. 
Winnipeg,  Manitoba. 

Bunt,    Miss   Myrtle. 

Elliott,  Miss  Nellie. 


Birmingham. 

Wales,  Miss  Theodosia. 

Mobile. 

Kirk,    Miss   Mary  J. 


ALABAMA 


Taylor,   Miss   Helen. 
Taylor,  Mrs.  R.  V. 
Girls'   Technical  Institute. 
Smith,  Miss  Frances  Y. 


CALIFORNIA 


Los  Angeles. 

Chappell,  Miss  Neva  A. 
Melcher,   Miss   Margery. 
Patch,   Miss   Carolyn  L. 
Salisbury,   Miss  Helen   M. 
*Shanklin,    Miss    Frances. 
Stevers,   Miss  Ella. 
Tatham,  Miss  Cora  L. 


Oakland. 

Chickering,    Miss   Martha. 

OIney,   Mrs.  Warren,  Jr. 
Pasadena. 

Wallace,   Mrs.    Frank   S. 
San  Diego. 

Baker,   Dr.    Charlotte   J. 

Baker,  Miss  Mary  C. 
Stanford   University. 

Hutchins,  Miss  Mary. 


Colorado    Springs. 

Dice,   Miss   Marguerite. 
Denver. 

Foote,   Mrs.   Ellen  J. 

♦Kinney,  Mrs.  J.  E. 

Kountze,    Mrs.    Charles. 

*McClintoch,  Miss  M. 


COLORADO 

*McLean,   Mrs.   Lester,   Jr. 

*Ward,    Mrs.   Wm.   Shaw. 

*Wise,  Mrs.  John  Parker. 
Grand   Junction. 

♦Browning,   Miss   Elbert   H. 
Greeley. 

McCreery,  Miss   Mary. 

♦Visiting   Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


187 


CONNECTICUT 


Neiu   Britain. 

Baird,  Miss   Grace   G. 
Labaree,  Mrs.  Benjamin  W. 


Wetraore,    Mrs.    Charles   E. 
Neiv  Haven. 

Harriman,  Mrs.  E.  A. 


Washington. 

Brown,    Miss    Florence    M 


DISTRICT   OF   COLUMBIA 

Clark,  Miss  Alice  H. 


GEORGIA 


Athens. 

Rutherford,   Miss   Mildred. 
Atlanta. 

Disbro,   Miss   Adele. 


Boise. 

Ballantyne,  Mrs.  Sam. 


Bloomington. 

Adams,  Miss  Elsie  H. 

Muhl,   Miss   Julia. 
Chicago. 

Broad,    Miss    Harriet. 

*Googins,    Miss    Medora    H. 

*Mills,  Mrs.  S.  F. 

*Richardson,   Miss   Grace. 

Sellers,  Miss  Dessie  M. 

*Strong,  Miss  Harriett  M. 

*Taylor,  Miss  Angy  Manning, 
Danville. 

*Barger,  Miss  Laura  E. 

*Beery,    Miss    Margaret. 

*Beyer,   Miss  Bessie. 

Braden,   Miss  Bertie. 

♦Cambridge,  Miss  Myrtle. 

*Clark,  Mrs.  E.  E. 

*Cline,    Miss   Winnie. 

*Covey,   Miss   E.   Ethel. 

*Elane,   Miss   Alta. 


Augusta. 

Downie,  Miss  Helen. 


IDAHO 


ILLINOIS 

*Erskine,   Miss   Pearl. 
*FalIis,   Miss   Clara. 
♦Freeman,   Miss   Jeanie. 
♦Gallaur,    Miss   Grace. 
♦Giddings,   Miss   Mate. 
Guy,  Mrs.  J.  M. 
*Hichman,   Miss  Lucy  H. 
*Hooton,   Mrs.   Charles. 
*Jones,  Miss  Hazel  C. 
*Lane,  Miss  Lulu  I. 
♦Lewis,  Miss  Cliffie. 
♦Marz,    Miss    Minnie. 
♦Mater,   Miss   Mildred. 
♦Michener,  Miss  Katheryn  E. 
♦Moore,  Miss  Ella  Myrtle. 
♦Moore,  Miss  Grace. 
♦Moore,   Miss   Sherley. 
♦Mueller,  Miss  Esther. 
♦Murray,   Miss  EflBe. 
♦Neville,   Miss   Mable. 
Rankin,  Mrs.  W.  C. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


188 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


*Robinson,  Miss  Lillis. 

*Schultz,  Miss  Clara  H. 

*Schultz,   Mrs.   Otto. 

*Spandau,    Miss    Dell. 

*Watson,  Miss  Mary  H. 
Decatur. 

Childs,   Miss   Harriet. 

Crea,  Mrs.  Harry. 

Dimock,    Miss   Sue. 

Guernsey,   Miss   E.   Louise. 

*Niederinger,  Miss  Ada  C. 
Elgin. 

*Haskins,   Miss  Ida  M. 

*Kirtland,   Miss   Ruth   C. 

Moore,  Miss  Alice  G. 

Reed,   Miss   Ruth   M. 

Tapper,  Mrs.  J.  G. 

VanNostrand,  Miss  Lois. 
Eureka. 

*Ross,  Mrs.  A.  T. 
Kankakee. 

McHose,  Miss  Lotta  M. 

Pierce,    Miss    Marion. 
Peoria. 

Campbell,  Mrs.  Jessie  G. 

Denison,  Miss   Florence  E. 

Reynolds,  Miss  Alice  R. 

McKenzie,    Miss   Elizabeth. 

Tobias,  Mrs.  Ezra. 
Quincy. 

Castle,    Mrs.    J.    Seymour. 

Channon,    Miss    Grace. 

*Kidd,  Mrs.  A.  E. 

Wheeler,  Miss  Ruth  May. 
Rock  ford. 

Buckbee,  Mrs.  H.  W. 

Gregory,   Mrs.  Edward  S. 

Lyman,  Mrs.  James. 

Pool,  Mrs.   W.  C. 

Verry,  Miss  Hazel. 

Vogt,   Miss  Jessie   M. 

Warren,  Mrs.  Julia  P. 
Springfield. 

Bambridge,  Miss  May  L 


Deal,    Mrs.   John. 

Foster,    Mrs.    George   A. 

Purimes,  Miss  Jessie  E. 

Scott,  Mrs.  Edgar  S. 

Stowell,  Miss  Galena  W. 
Woodford  County. 

Hieronymus,   Mrs.   R.   E. 

Stoddard,  Miss  Melita. 
Eureka   College. 

*Lyon,   Miss  Bertha. 

Wilson,  Miss  Idella. 
Illinois   JVesleyan    University. 

*Pauley,  Miss  Irene. 
James   MilUken    University. 

Blake,  Miss   M.  Madge. 

*Medberry,  Miss  Mabel. 
Northvjestern   University. 

Bragdon,  Miss  Elizabeth. 

Fox,  Miss  Elizabeth. 

*Gamble,    Miss    Gula. 

Patten,   Miss  Helen   P. 
University   of  Chicago. 

Burton,    Miss    Margaret. 

Hinkins,    Miss    Virginia. 
University   of  Illinois. 

*Miss   Abbott,   Theodora. 

*Baker,    Miss   Laura    M. 

*Barry,  Miss  Mary  C. 

Bevies,   Miss   Isabel. 

Brown,  Miss  Geraldine  G. 

Dupuy,   Miss   Margaret. 

*Fisher,    Miss    Laura    E. 

*Gresham,   Miss   Nina   V. 

*Groves,    Miss    Pauline. 

*Hash,   Miss  Susan. 

*Hersman,  Miss  Bessie  E. 

*Martin,  Miss  Catherine. 

*McGill,   Miss   Elizabeth   R. 

*Noon,   Miss   Helen   Fay. 

♦Packard,    Miss    Bessie. 

Patchin,   Miss   Mary  A. 

*Redhed,    Miss   Alice. 

*Vautrin,  Miss  Minnie. 


•Visiting  Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


189 


INDIANA 


Bloomington. 

*Hall,   Miss  Jessie  G. 
Connersville. 

*Earl,    Mrs.    Elizabeth    Claypool. 
Crawfordsville. 

*Hayes,   Mrs.  Thos. 
Danville. 

*Jordan,  Miss  Ruth. 

*Kahl,  Miss  Mattie. 
Delphi. 

*Sparks,   Miss   Madge. 
Earlham. 

*Brown,  Miss  Clara. 
Elkhart. 

Boedefeld,   Miss  Beatrice. 

Boss,  Mrs.  J.  C. 

Owen,   Miss  Bessie. 

*Rittel,   Miss    Mattie. 

*Seyle,  Miss  Adele. 

Webster,  Miss  Vliet. 
Evansville. 

Campbell,   Mrs.    Clay. 

Gabert,   Miss    Laura   M. 

*Hunnicutt,    Miss   Gertrude   Oren. 

Stahr,   Miss   Roberta    L. 

Storms,    Mrs.    North. 

*Trimble,   Mrs.   Eliza. 
Fort  JVayne. 

Coffing,   Miss   Edna. 

Davidson,  Mrs.  R.   F. 

*Hettler,   Mrs.   C. 

House,   Mrs.  J.   S. 

*McCurdy,   Mrs.   J.   S. 

*Mossman,   Mrs.  Paul. 

*Philbrick,   Mrs.   G.  A. 

*Thieme,   Mrs.  T.  J. 

Tinkham,  Miss  Cora  E. 

*Zollinger,   Miss    Christine. 
Franklin. 

*Griffith,    Miss    Glenna. 

♦Wilson,  Miss  Edith. 

♦Visiting 


Greencastle. 
♦Burner,    Miss    Oolooah. 
*Halm,   Mrs.   W. 
*Myers,   Miss  Leoma. 
♦Prutsman,   Miss  Eunice. 
*Sanders,  Miss  Laura. 
Indianapolis. 

*Ackmann,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Barnett,  Mrs.  Cora  Campbell. 
Barrett,   Mrs.  John  R. 
Batty,  Miss   E.  Jean,  Sec.  Indiana. 
Bell,  Miss  Edith. 
Birdsall,  Miss  Anna  P. 
Brown,  Mrs.  W.  T. 
Brownell,   Miss   Frances   J. 
Buchanan,   Mrs.   C.  J. 
♦Carter,  Miss  Edna  B. 
♦Clark,  Mrs.  E.  D. 
♦Clark,  Miss  Angle  Ray. 
Coffin,   Mrs.    Charles   E.     ' 
♦Cresshull,   Miss  Rose  Amy. 
♦Cron,  Miss  Beatrice. 
♦Crowe,    Miss    Ethel    E. 
♦Crowe,    Mrs.    W.    B. 
♦Day,    Miss    Margaret. 
Dougherty,   Miss   Elizabeth. 
♦Glassbreuner,   Miss  E. 
♦Gobin,    Miss. 
Eastes,    Miss    Beryl. 
♦Hall,  Miss  Letitia  T. 
♦Handy,  Mrs.  C.  M. 
Hendricks,  Mrs.  John  E. 
Higdon,  Mrs.  J.  E. 
♦Hoffstadt,   Miss  Ray  E. 
♦Hopkins,    Mrs.    Y.    S. 
♦Hudson,   Mrs.  Wm.  W. 
Jencks,    Mrs.    J.    S. 
♦Johnson,  Mrs.   S.  F, 
Lewis,   Mrs.   Franklin   F. 
♦Lightner,  Miss  Landa  E. 
Love,  Miss  Elizabeth. 
♦McCarthy,   Miss   F.   J. 
Delegate 


190 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


♦McCrea,    Mrs.   W.   W. 

*Mendenhall,    Miss    Georgia. 

•Merrill,  Miss  Adaline. 

*Northcott,  Mrs.  M.  L. 

♦Powell,  Mrs.  A. 

Philputt,   Mrs.   A.  B. 

♦Ragan,  Miss  L.  G. 

♦Randall,  Miss  Mary  E. 

♦Robinson,   Miss   Josephine. 

Shank,    Miss   Flora. 

♦Smith,    Miss    Adelaide. 

♦Smith,    Miss   Natalie   L. 

Stacy,   Mrs.  E.  E. 

♦Teter,   Mrs.   George. 

Tillett,  Miss  Ethel. 

Wishard,  Miss  Elizabeth  N. 
Lafayette. 

♦Stuart,  Mrs.  Chas.  Benedict. 
Merom. 

Whitaker,  Miss  Portia  Nerissa 

Milroy. 

♦Davis,  Miss  Wildie. 

Pendleton. 

♦Boston,   Miss   Mary. 
Rochester. 

♦Roses,  Miss  Grace. 

South  Bend. 

Burton,  Miss  Ina  E. 

Carpenter,  Miss  Helen. 

Little,  Miss  Vesta  M. 

Marsh,    Mrs.    F.   A. 

Moerdyke,  Miss  Miriam. 

Taylor,  Mrs.  E.  W. 

Woodward,  Miss   Carrie. 
Terre  Haute. 

♦Baker,   Miss   Mame. 

♦Barlow,  Miss  Florence  M. 

♦Bowles,   Miss   Dorothy. 

♦Brown,  Miss  Edna  P. 

♦Deere,   Miss   Grace. 

♦Denny,  Miss  Sue. 

Dobbs,  Miss  Effie  F. 

♦Edwards,   Miss   Hazel. 


♦Edwards,    Miss    Opal. 

♦Elam,    Miss    Grace. 

Ensey,   Miss   Ida  B. 

♦Augur,   Miss  Eunice. 

♦Glaevecke,  Miss  Meta. 

♦Goodrich,   Miss  Lillian   C. 

♦Harris,  Miss  Frances  E. 

♦Howard,    Miss   Mary   L. 

♦Hughes,    Miss   Nellie   M. 

♦Jaggers,  Miss  Eleanor. 

♦Jones,   Miss   Alice. 

♦Johnson,  Miss  Beulah. 

Johnston,   Mrs.   S.  E. 

♦Lewis,   Miss   Georgia   Ruth. 

♦Long,    Miss   Frances. 

♦Morris,   Miss   Ada. 

Moore,  Miss  Emma  B. 

♦Murphy,   Miss  Bessie. 

♦Newman,   Miss   Edna   S. 

♦Rosenburg,    Miss   Claire. 

♦Rowan,   Mrs.   Curlista  E. 

Royse,    Mrs.   J.    H.    C. 

♦Sartani,    Miss    Flora. 

♦Schoonover,   Miss  Bessie. 

♦Smith,   Miss   Carrie  A. 

♦Stark,    Miss    Elizabeth. 

♦Stolcker,   Miss   Bertha. 

♦Swim,   Miss   Martha. 

Tennant,   Mrs.   R.   S. 

♦Tipton,   Miss  Edna. 

♦Tucker,  Miss  E.  B, 

♦Warren,   Mrs.  John   C. 

♦Wheeler,    Miss    Selma. 

Whitcomb,    Mrs.    Charles. 
♦Wires,  Miss  Clara. 
Tivelve  Mile. 

♦Anderson,   Miss   Myrtle. 
Butler  College. 

♦Ayres,  Miss  Vida  E. 
♦Brewer,  Miss  Jane  A. 
♦Clifford,    Miss   Jeannette. 
♦Collins,  Miss  Hazel  L. 
♦James,    Miss    Mary   E. 
♦McCord,  Miss  Mary  E. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


191 


Pavey,   Miss   Mary. 

*Seward,  Miss  Melissa  B. 
Central  Normal   College. 

*Anderson,   Mrs. 

*Baker,    Miss. 

*Daugherty,  Mrs.  Lulu. 

*Edwards,    Miss   Bertha. 

*Elrod,   Miss   Ethel. 

*Elrod,   Miss  Mona. 

*Haynes,    Miss    Georgia. 

*Hendrickson,   Miss   Flossie. 

*Henry,  Miss  Bertha. 

*Hert,  Miss  Arie. 

*Hert,  Miss  Bessie. 

*Hussy,   Miss  Lena. 

*Jones,  Miss  Mamie. 

*Kahl,   Miss   Myrtle. 

*KelIy,  Miss  Nellie. 

*King,   Miss   Clara. 

*King,   Miss   Sarah. 

*Martin,    Miss   Lora. 

*Means,  Miss  Ethel. 

*Moudy,  Miss  Minnie. 

*Noble,  Miss  Flossie. 

*Nollte,   Miss  Hazel. 

*Overman,  Miss   Osie. 

*Philipps,  Miss  Nellie. 

Scearce,   Miss   Alta   M. 

*Tate,  Miss  May. 

*Thornburg,   Miss  Ethel. 

Warbritton,  Miss  lola. 

*Wood,   Miss  Ollie. 
DePauiv   University. 

Adams,    Miss    Marie. 

*Allais,   Miss   Irma. 

*Aughe,    Miss   Ruth   B. 

*Charles,   Miss   Emilie. 

Duncan,  Miss  Mary  M. 

*Evans,    Miss   Beatrice. 

*Evans,  Miss  Tessa. 

*Fox,   Miss   Eulalia. 

*Gregg,    Miss    Naomi. 

*Gwinn,    Miss    Maude. 

*Hale,    Miss    Hortense    Virginia. 

*  Visiting 


*Hsueh,   Miss  Jean   C. 

*Jordan,    Miss    Ella. 

*Jordan,   Miss   Grace. 

*Kern,  Miss  Minna  M. 

*Laitem,  Miss  Rose  F, 

Leach,  Miss  Bertha  V. 

*Mickle,    Miss   Marjorie. 

*Moor,  Miss  Stella. 

*Norris,   Miss   Grace. 

*Parker,  Miss  Florence  N. 

*Pearson,   Miss  Helen. 

*Richardson,    Miss    Mildred. 

*Royer,   Miss  Mary. 

*Ruthenburg,   Miss  Helen. 

*Ryan,   Miss  Nellie  J. 

*Schmolamine,    Miss    Cennella. 

*Taylor,  Miss  Irene. 

*Taylor,  Miss  Ruth. 

*Thompson,   Miss   Fern. 

*Warner,  Miss  Emily. 
Earlham  College. 

*Barrett,  Miss  Mildred. 

*Calvert,   Miss   Rachel. 

*Cox,  Miss  M.  Ramona. 

*DeLong,   Miss  Ida   L. 

*Doan,    Miss    Florence. 

*Doane,   Miss   Alice   Mary. 

*Edwards,  Miss  Edith. 

*Fumas,    Miss   Miriam. 

*Furnas,    Miss   Marcia    M. 

*Hadley,   Miss   Clara. 

*Hardin,    Miss    Margaret. 

*Hartman,   Miss   Catherine. 

*Henley,   Miss  Margaret  D. 

*Hutton,  Miss  Sabina. 

*Johnson,  Miss  Rowena. 

*Keyes,  Miss  Helen  Brown. 

*Lindley,   Mrs.  Harlow. 

*McClain,    Miss    Althea. 

*McMullen,  Miss  Harriet. 

*Pyle,   Miss   Bertha   L. 

*Rausch,  Miss  Emma  K. 

*Smith,    Miss    Mary    Emma. 

*VonRunkle,    Miss    Nellie. 
Delegate 


192 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


*Wildman,  Miss  Edith  E. 

*Winslow,    Miss   Grace. 

Wood,  Miss  Grace  W. 
Franklin   College. 

♦Allen,   Miss   Nell. 

*Allen,    Miss    Thomasine. 

*Best,   Miss   Margaret. 

♦Carter,  Miss  Ruth  M. 

*Cobb,   Miss  Agnes. 

♦Cosby,   Miss    Clara    B. 

♦Cunninghann,    Miss    Chloe. 

♦Grahana,  Miss  Mary  Jane. 

♦Harris,  Miss  Gaye. 

♦Jackson,   Miss   Leah   F. 

♦Kenny,  Miss  Katharine  S. 

♦Kincaid,   Miss   Grace. 

♦Lee,    Miss   Dora    M. 

Magill,   Miss   Hallie. 

♦Mather,   Miss  Lorena. 

♦McCain,    Miss    Lorene. 

♦McCullough,  Miss  Ruth  D. 

♦Means,    Miss    Hazel    E. 

♦Merrill,   Miss   Mildred. 

♦Mix,   Miss   Jessie. 

♦Sexson,  Miss  Hassie  L 

♦Smack,    Miss   Eva. 

♦Smith,   Miss  Marie. 

♦Spencer,   Miss  I.   Goldie. 

♦Stephens,  Miss  Ethel   M. 

♦Thompson,    Miss    Rebecca    I. 

♦Todd,    Miss    Nancy    H. 

♦Toombes,  Miss  Mabel. 

♦Trout,    Miss    Ruth. 

♦Winterrowd,  Miss  Bertha, 
Goshen  College. 

♦Albrecht,  Miss  Alma  A. 

♦Bontrager,    Miss    Sylvia. 

♦Ebersole,   Miss   Ruth  Rebecca. 

♦Hostetler,   Miss  Rossie. 

♦Miller,   Miss  Adda   L. 

♦Rupp,  Miss  Fannie. 
Indiana   Central   University. 

♦Bonebrake,    Miss   Margaret. 

♦Cummins,   Miss  Lucile. 

♦  Visiting 


♦Hardy,   Miss   Anna   L. 

♦Hardy,    Miss   Josephine. 

♦Mendenhall,   Miss   Virgie. 

♦Stafford,   Miss  Ruby. 

♦Thomas,   Miss   Ettie. 

♦VanHorn,   Miss   Maud. 

Walters,  Miss  Myrtle  B. 

♦Weaver,    Miss    Sibyl. 
Indiana  State  Normal  School. 

♦Baker,   Miss   Jeannette. 

♦Baldwin,  Miss  Bertha. 

♦Barricklow,   Miss  Abbie. 

♦Brooking,  Miss  Mae. 

♦Foster,   Miss  Loa. 

♦Frank,  Miss  Mary  Hope. 

♦Harrer,  Miss  Tillie  E. 

♦Hemmersbaugh,    Miss   Ruth. 

♦Holmes,  Miss   Margaret. 

♦Howard,   Miss   Mary  M. 

♦Kenton,   Miss   Leone. 

♦King,  Miss  Jennie  A. 

♦Kirby,   Miss   Mary. 

♦Kuhn,    Miss    Erna. 

♦Lowry,   Miss   Lizzie. 

♦Morford,  Miss  Ella. 

♦Orebaugh,    Miss    Anna. 

♦Peck,  Miss  Florence. 

♦Rebstock,    Mrs.   Carson. 

♦Scott,  Miss  Myrtle  E. 

Wissing,   Miss  Minna. 
Indiana   University. 

♦Bowers,  Miss  Lucy  T. 

♦Brant,    Miss    Sarah. 

♦Carithers,  Miss  Nellie. 

♦Chenoweth,    Miss    Ardus. 

♦Chenoweth,  Miss  Ida. 

♦Collins,  Miss  Anna  B. 

♦Fisher,   Miss  Bess  D. 

♦Foreman,  Mrs.  lona  J. 

♦Henley,   Miss   Eloise. 

♦Hennel,    Miss    Cora   B. 

♦Howard,   Miss   Cleo  J. 

♦Howe,    Miss    Irene. 

♦Howe,   Miss  Lucile. 
Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


193 


*Lighty,  Miss  Bessie. 

*May,   Miss   Carolyn   G. 

*Mitchell,    Mrs.    Halajon. 

*Paddock,  Miss  Margaret  E. 

*Pittenger,   Miss   Martha   M. 

*Reeves,  Miss  Ruth. 

*Roddy,    Miss    Mary    E. 

*Snodgrass,  Miss  Mary. 

Springer,  Mrs.  C.  H. 

*Thomas,  Miss  Josephine. 

Wheeler,    Miss   Elizabeth. 
Purdue    University. 

*Berry,  Miss  Ethel  E. 

*Berry,   Miss   Lucile   R. 

*Colliver,    Miss   Elizabeth. 

*Coulter,    Mrs.    Stanley. 

*Gamble,   Miss  Edith. 

-*Gillette,  Miss  Helen  C. 

*Kalherer,   Miss   Maude. 

Latta,  Miss  Pauline. 

*Lowe,  Miss   Grace. 

*Luckey,   Miss  Rose  Alice. 

*Milligan,   Miss   Anna    S. 

*North,  Miss  Jabe  M. 

*Ransom,  Mrs.  J.  H. 

*Richards,    Miss    Ida. 
H^inona  College. 

*Boston,  Miss  Gretchen. 

Breckenridge,  Miss  Faye. 

*Loveless,  Miss  A.  Pearl. 


Hanover    College. 

*Marble,   Miss   Abby  May. 

*McIntree,   Miss   Ferdie   H. 

Wilson,   Miss  Lola  E. 
Manchester   College. 

*Rinehart,   Miss   Rose. 

*Wagoner,    Miss    Rosa    B. 
Marion  Normal  College. 

Jones,    Miss   Hattie. 

*Rogers,  Miss  Elva  E. 
Moores   Hill    College. 

*McCallie,  Miss  Nelle. 

Pavy,   Miss   Josie. 

Smith,   Miss   Florence   E. 
Oakland   City    College. 

Canapbell,  Miss  Marilon. 

Wheatley,  Mrs.  Ella  C. 
Spiceland  Academy. 

Cochran,  Miss  Hazel. 

*Dougherty,   Miss  Edith. 
Union  Christian  College. 

*Hatten,   Miss   Elizabeth. 

Hess,  Miss  Lu  Emma. 

*VanCleave,  Miss  Vera  V. 
Valparaiso    University. 

*Burke,    Miss    Maude    H. 

Conn,   Mrs.  Walter. 


Burlington. 

Higbee,  Mrs.  G.  H. 
Cedar  Rapids. 

Davis,  Miss  Charlotte. 

Dodd,  Miss  Ida  M. 

Douglas,  Mrs.  George  B. 

Hubbard,  Mrs.  William  A. 

Thompson,   Miss   Clara   O. 
Des  Moines. 

Baker,    Miss   Margaret    M. 

Bardsley,   Miss   Phoebe. 


IOWA 

Barnard,  Miss  Anna  K. 
Brewster,  Miss  Clara  M. 
Corbett,  Miss  Maude  B. 
Ensign,  Miss  S.  Laura. 
Keenan,  Mrs.  S.  Baylor. 
Kirk,  Miss  Sara  S. 
Rawson,  Mrs.  Charles  A. 
Fort   Dodge. 

Secor,   Miss  Joy. 
Marshal  It  oivn. 

*Amey,  Mrs.  P.  F. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


194 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


*Sparks,  Mrs.  C.  W. 

*Trine,   Mrs.    C.   C. 

*Wasson,   Mrs.  T.   G. 
Muscatine. 

Allen,   Miss    Marguerite. 

Hoover,    Miss   Bertha. 

Kulp,  Mrs.  J.  S. 
Ottumiva. 

LaForce,    Mrs.   William. 

Foster,    Miss    Ellen    M. 
Waterloo. 

Woods,  Mrs.  C.  M. 
lonLa  State  College. 

*Jones,    Miss    Mildred    B. 

Robinson,   Miss   Clara. 


lola. 

*Parmelee,   Miss   Florence   M. 

Remsberg,    Miss    Mary    C. 
Kansas  City. 

Cooper,   Dr.   Emma    S. 

Hornbrook,    Miss    E.    D. 

Riggs,   Miss   Lucy   Y. 

Ware,   Miss   Amelia. 
Leaven^vorth. 

Smith,   Mrs.   Martha  J. 
Topeka. 

Cowgill,   Miss  Ella   Lee. 

Forsythe,  Miss  Pearl  B. 

Lindsay,   Mrs.   W.   S. 


loiua  State   Teacher's   College. 

Porter,  Miss  Mary. 
Ioi!:a  JVesleyan  College. 

Kemble,    Miss   H.    Margaret. 
Simpson  College. 

*Rusk,    Miss   Edith. 

*Yockey,   Miss  Mila. 
Tabor  College. 

*Campbell,  Miss  Alice. 

Marshall,   Miss   Herma  G. 
University  of  loiva. 

Thomas,   Miss   Esther   Eleanor. 


KANSAS 


Rowles,   Miss  Bertha. 

Scott,  Mrs.  J.  F. 

Trout,   Miss  Daisy  June. 
Wichita. 

Battin,  Mrs.  E.  T. 

Erickson,   Miss   Esther   M. 

Piatt,   Mrs.   R.   M. 

*Pitte,   Mrs.  W.  R. 
Haskell   Institute,   Lawrence. 

Weiss,   Miss   Margaret. 
Kansas  State  Normal  School. 

Taylor,   Miss   Luella. 
University  of  Kansas. 

Thomas,   Miss   Nadia. 


KENTUCKY 

Eastern  Kentucky  State  Normal  School.       Science  Hill  School. 


*Roark,  Mrs.  Mary  C. 
Hamilton  College. 

Niederauer,   Miss   Ida. 


*Poynter,    Miss    Juliet    Jameson. 


New  Orleans. 

Carre,  Mrs.  W.  W. 


LOUISIANA 

*King,    Miss   Nina   Ansley. 

*  Visiting  Delegate 


Bar  Harbor. 

Wilson,  Miss  Margaret. 


Baltimore. 

Cator,  Mrs.  F.  P. 
Clements,  Miss  Lulu. 
Colt,  Miss  Mary  E.  S. 


List  of  Delegates 

MAINE 


MARYLAND 


Cullen,   Mrs.   Thomas   S. 
Dill,  Mrs.  Lewis 
Hopper,    Miss    Mary    Johns. 
Porte,  Miss  Lena  M. 


195 


MASSACHUSETTS 


Boston. 

*Edwards,  Mrs.  G.  H. 

*Nairy,  Miss  Hope  W. 

Tenney,    Mrs.    Benjamin. 
Haverhill. 

Lehman,   Miss   Edith   M. 


Lotvell. 

*Colby,  Miss  Grace. 

Upton,  Mrs.  Charles  T. 
JVaverly. 

*EIlis,  Miss   Clara  B. 


Ann  Arbor. 

Darling,   Mrs.   C.   G. 

Pride,  Miss  Florence. 

*Whedon,  Miss   Sara. 
Battle  Creek. 

Miller,  Miss  Jenette  E. 

Ryder,   Mrs.  Leita  B. 
Bay  City. 

*Edmonds,  Miss  Ora  E. 

Hawley,  Mrs.  C.  R. 
Detroit. 

Angell,  Mrs.  A.  C. 

*Beach,  Miss  Helen. 

*Bey,  Miss  Edith  L. 

Blick,   Miss  Ida   S. 

*Bryant,    Miss   Isla. 

Cowie,    Miss   Christine   W. 

*Demske,   Miss  Louise. 

*Dingeman,  Miss  Lottie  C. 

*Edmunds,  Miss  Ina  E. 

*Freck,   Miss   Nellie. 

Gariepy,    Miss    Sadie. 

Goulder,   Miss   Sybil    M, 


MICHIGAN 

*Hemingway,   Miss  Elberta. 

*HilI,  Miss   Gertrude. 

Jones,   Miss  Edith   C. 

Marsh,  Miss  Alice  R. 

*Orr,    Miss    Charlotte    Page. 

*Rumley,   Miss   Frances. 

*Schwarm,   Miss   Clara   E. 

Seevers,  Miss  Eva. 

*Trick,  Miss  E.  A. 

Whitaker,   Mrs.   H.   E. 
Flint. 

Landes,    Miss    Hallie. 

Reynolds,  Miss  Vera  S. 
Grand  Rapids. 

Ganson,   Mrs.   Van   Cleve. 

Enos,   Miss   Kate  L. 

Fay,   Miss   Beth   M. 

Reckenbaugh,  Mrs.  J.   C. 
Hillsdale  College. 

Babcock,  Miss  Dena. 
Hudson. 

*Stowell,  Mrs.  C.  B. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


196 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


Kalamazoo. 

Goodnow,  Miss  Minnie. 
Jordan,  Mrs.  H.  M. 
Walter,    Miss   Ellen. 


Muskegon. 

Peasley,   Miss  Jessie. 
University    of  Michigan. 

Hess,    Miss   Blanche. 

King,  Miss  Katharine  P. 


MINNESOTA 


Duluth. 

Campbell,  Miss  Ada  C. 
Minneapolis. 

Byers,    Mrs.   Emma    F. 

Crittenden,    Miss    Frances    M. 

Dayton,    Miss    Caroline    Ward. 

Faries,   Miss  Anne   G. 

Gardner,  Mrs.  C.  W. 

Hopkins,   Miss  Betsey  Lee. 

Jeffery,   Miss   M.   Belle. 

Morris,    Miss    Eva    F. 

O'Connell,  Miss  Margaret  E. 


Passmore,   Miss   Frances. 

Passmore,  Mrs.  R.  H. 

Trimble,   Miss   Nettie. 
Moiver  County. 

Sly,    Miss    Gertrude   B. 
St.  Paul. 

Chamberlin,   Mrs.   J.   W. 

Fisher,    Miss   Julia   Elizabeth. 

Stronge,    Mrs.   Joseph. 
University  of  Minnesota. 

Bruchholz,  Miss  Elizabeth  C. 


Kansas  City. 

Delap,   Mrs.   S.   C. 

Simonds,   Mrs.  Geo.  S. 
St.  Joseph. 

Foulk,   Mrs.   Henry   C. 

Lindauer,  Miss  Louise. 

McBride,   Miss   M.   Elizabeth 
St.  Louis. 

Bell,  Miss  Alexandra. 

Curtis,  Mrs.  C.  B. 

Curtis,   Miss   Nellie. 

Hatch,  Miss  Alice  K. 

Hogue,  Miss  Helena. 

Hopkins,  Miss  Marion. 

Kolany,   Mrs.    Max. 

Lash,  Miss  Bertha  B. 

McElroy,   Miss   Mary. 

McKee,  Miss  Davie. 

Moffett,  Miss  Nellie  A. 

Rainwater,   Mrs.  C.   C. 

*Rausch,  Miss  Alma. 


MISSOURI 

Reed,   Dr.   Elizabeth. 
*Sahm,   Miss   Florence. 
Schooley,  Miss  Ella. 
Souther,   Miss   Cornelia. 
Spencer,    Mrs.    Selden   P. 
Springer,  Mrs.   C.  R. 
*Stifel,   Miss   Martha. 
Stuart,   Mrs.  Robert. 
Sweets,    Miss    Elizabeth    A. 
Thompson,   Miss    Mettie. 
Tittman,  Mrs.  Harold. 
Truesdell,    Miss    Lilian. 
*Unger,  Miss  Edith. 
Watt,  Miss  Ann  O. 
Webb,    Miss    Annie. 
*West,    Mrs.    L.    C. 
Wilkinson,    Miss   Edith. 
Withers,  Miss  Myra. 
*Zeltman,   Miss   Mathilde. 
Springfield. 

Bell,  Miss  Martha. 

•  Visiting  Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


197 


Southeastern  State  Normal  School. 

Steel,  Miss  Mary. 
Slate   Normal  School,  Kirkville. 

Daugherty,  Mrs.  L.   S. 


State  Normal  School,  Springfield. 

Bearden,  Miss   Myrtle  M. 
University   of  Missouri. 

Chapman,   Miss   Esther. 


Billings. 

Collamore,  Miss  Mary  Erna. 


Omaha. 

Harford,    Mrs.   W.   P. 
Kilgore,   Miss   Maud   C. 
Strong,  Miss  Lily  M. 


MONTANA 


NEBRASKA 


Thorp,   Miss   Jennie   E. 
Tilden,   Mrs.   George. 
University    of   Nebraska. 
Humpe,  Miss  Alice. 


mw   JERSEY 


Camden. 

Fry,  Mrs.  Wilfred  W. 

Pullar,  Miss  Frances. 
Jersey  City. 

Coale,  Miss  Anna  W. 

Friedman,    Miss   Ernestine. 


Neiaark. 

Adams,  Miss  Cara  May. 
Paterson. 

Chapin,  Miss  Emma  R. 
Trenton. 

Smith,    Miss    Caroline   B. 


Batavia. 

Woodford,   Miss  Louise  B. 

Young,   Miss  Ruth. 
Brooklyn, 

Kendrick,    Miss   Jean. 
Buffalo. 

Clark,  Miss  Abigail  L. 

Coates,  Miss  Florence  M. 

Gerry,  Miss  Louise  C. 

Janes,  Miss  Lillian  E. 

Knox,  Mrs.  J.  M. 

Plummer,  Mrs.  W.  Ward. 

Prentiss,   Miss  Mary  E. 

VanZandt,  Miss  Anna. 
Nev:  York   City. 

Babcock,  Miss   Mary  L, 

Daniels,  Mrs.  Lorenzo. 

Dodge,  Miss  Elizabeth  W. 


NEW    YORK 

Lewis,  Mrs.  Burdette  Gibson. 

Lines,  Mrs.  Harrie  S. 

*Mathews,  Miss  Sara  B. 

Moore,   Miss   E.   V.   P. 

*Sinclair,    Miss   Marjorie. 

Wells,  Miss  Sarah  C. 
Poughkeepsie. 

Dayton,   Mrs.   Edward    C. 
Rochester. 

*Colby,  Miss  Alice  H. 

Crouch,   Mrs.   F.   P. 

Davis,   Miss   Helen  Ailing. 

*Fox,    Miss   Helen   M. 

*Gommenginger,    Miss    Nellie    J. 

*Gorsline,   Miss   E.   M. 

Harmon,  Miss  Isabel   F. 

*Lederthul,    Miss    Louise. 

LeSeur,   Miss   Margaret   H. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


198 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


*Maier,  Miss  Eloise. 
*Line,   Miss  Katherine. 
Morrill,   Miss  Belle   C. 
*Neidinger,    Miss    C. 
*Scholand,   Miss   Katherine   C. 
*Stolz,    Miss    Frieda. 
*Vogel,   Miss   Flora. 
Syracuse. 

Seymour,    Miss   Lucretia. 
Smith,   Miss   Beth   M. 


Yonkers. 

*Baldwin,   Miss  Martha   P. 

Ewing,  Mrs.  Thomas,  Jr. 

Harrison,   Miss   Harriet   B. 
National    Training    School. 

*Mather,    Miss   Jessie   E. 
Teachers'  College. 

Cilley,    Miss   Lucia. 

Corbett,  Miss  Mary  J. 
Syracuse    Uni'versity. 

Smith,    Miss   Joy   Kelsey. 


NORTH    CAROLINA 


Asheville. 

Osborn,  Miss  Grace  L. 
Charlotte. 

easier,   Miss   Anna   D. 

Sherrard,  Miss  Elizabeth  Linn. 


Greensboro. 

Cain,  Miss  Florence  E. 
JVinston-Salem. 

Shaw,  Miss  Sara  L. 


Fargo. 

Allen,    Mrs.    W.    H. 


NORTH    DAKOTA 

White,   Miss   Evelyn. 


Akron. 

Eggers,  Miss  Carrie  E. 

Hay,   Mrs.   F.   G. 

Lyon,  Miss  Sarah  S. 

Parmalee,   Miss  Faith. 

Smith,  Miss  Christine  H. 

Wright,    Mrs.    J.   B. 
Canton. 

Ball,  Mrs.   Calvin   E. 

*Deuble,  Miss  Martha. 

Doughty,  Miss  Isabel  Perry. 

Harter,   Mrs.   Isaac. 

Lovejoy,  Miss  Lillian. 

Miller,   Mrs.  Levi   L. 

*Smith,  Mrs.  Arthur  R. 

*Wible,   Miss   Vance. 

*Zelenka,  Miss  Dora. 


OHIO 

Cincinnati. 

Atkins,   Miss  Elizabeth  P. 
Attee,    Miss   Elizabeth    S. 
Baldwin,  Mrs.  Jessie  E. 
Belmer,   Mrs.   H. 
Gamble,   Mrs.  William  S. 
Hopkins,   Miss  Helen  Brewer. 
Kirkpatrick,  Mrs.  M.  L. 
Larmon,   Mrs.  James. 
Lindsley,   Miss  E.   Van   S. 
Moore,    Miss    Marion. 
Pratt,  Mrs.  Dwight  M. 
Sewall,  Miss  Helen  A. 
*Theal,  Miss  Angie   N. 
*Tucker,   Miss   Dorothy. 
Cleveland. 

♦Allen,   Miss  Bessie   R. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


199 


Andrews,    Mrs.    Matthew. 
*Ball,   Miss   Florence  V. 
*Beardsley,  Miss  Mary  L. 
*Campbell,    Miss   Agnes. 
Campbell,   Miss  Anna   M. 
*Davis,    Mrs. 
Day,  Miss  Ruth. 
*Daykin,  Miss  Anne  B. 
*Dewald,    Miss    Louise. 
*Eiben,   Miss  Anna. 
*Ewing,    Mrs.    John    W. 
Finley,   Miss  Irma   E. 
*Ford,   Miss  Mabelle   M. 
*GempeI,  Mrs.  E. 
*Gillen,  Miss  EtheL 
Guthrie,  Miss  Elsie. 
*Hagen,  Miss  Martha. 
*Harvey,   Miss  Edith   A. 
*LaMarche,   Miss   Gertrude. 
Lovis,   Mrs.    S.   C. 
*Mettling,  Miss  Cora  A. 
*Moran,  Miss  Tressa. 
Nash,    Miss    Edith. 
*Penrose,   Miss  Alice  M. 
*Pottinger,    Miss    Margaret    C. 
Rathbun,  Miss  Mary  E. 
*Roe,   Miss   Charlotte. 
*Rooke,   Miss  E.   H. 
Safford,   Miss  Bertha. 
*Stafford,  Miss  Alice  L. 
*Sullivan,  Mrs.  J.  J. 
*Teachout,   Mrs.  A.  R.,  Jr. 
*Walser,  Mrs.  H.  J. 
*Wheelock:,  Miss  Vera. 
Wing,   Miss   Marie  R. 
*Woerz,    Miss   Louisa. 
*Wood,    Mrs.   J.  B. 
*Young,   Miss   Nora. 
*Ziemer,  Miss   C.  E. 
Columbus. 

Bartram,   Mrs.  Charles  E. 
Beggs,  Mrs.  D.   C. 
Broadfoot,   Miss  Jemima. 
Dildine,   Mrs.  J.  A. 

*  Visiting 


Dryer,    Mrs.    D.   D. 

Hansberger,    Mrs.    C.   F. 

Hedges,   Miss   Heloise. 

Lumley,   Miss   Marion. 

Ross,   Miss   Mary  J. 

Shepard,   Miss  Jane. 

Wells,  Mrs.  W.  T. 

Wiltsee,  Mrs.  Alberta. 
Dayton. 

*Caverell,  Miss  Julia   S. 

*Combs,   Miss   M.   E. 

*Coffield,  Miss  Elsie  Fern. 

*Cummings,   Miss  Eleanor. 

*Geyer,    Miss    Mercedes. 

*Hiveley,     Miss    Edith. 

*Hommel,   Miss   Emma   L. 

Hughes,   Miss  Elizabeth. 

Hull,   Miss   Inez  H. 

*Hunting,  Mrs.  Merrill  M. 

Kimmel,   Mrs.   E.   F. 

Koogle,  Miss  Orilla  L. 

Lehman,   Miss  Agnes   A. 

Palmer,  Mrs.   H.   E. 

Parrott,    Miss    Margaret. 

*Proctor,    Miss    Grace. 

Mathews,   Miss  L.  K. 

*Moore,   Miss   Cora. 

*Shook,    Miss    Crystal. 

*Slaght,  Miss  Maude  J. 

*VanHagen,    Miss   Winifred. 

*Winters,  Miss   Clara. 
Delaijuare. 

*Dike,  Miss  Maggie  E. 
Hamilton. 

*Hair,   Miss  Bessie   E. 

Hailman,  Miss  Jean. 

*Ruff,   Miss   Mary. 

Sheehan,    Miss    Mary   A. 
Springfield. 

Baker,   Mrs.  E.   M. 

*Baker,   Mrs.   Harley. 

*Baylor,   Miss   Helen   Lloyd. 

*Brown,   Miss   Jeannette. 

Chapman,    Miss   Hazel. 
Delegate 


200 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


*Cross,   Miss   Mabel. 

*Mull,    Miss   Iva. 

*Rabbitts,  Mrs.  J.  H. 

*Rockwood,   Miss  Cora  B. 

♦Thomas,   Mrs.  Will   H. 

*Watkins,   Mrs.   Fannie  P. 

Winger,  Miss  Helen. 
Toledo. 

Heap,  Miss  Mary  Fiske. 

Mills,  Miss  Frances  F. 

Richardson,  Miss  Nina. 

Warner,  Mrs.  T.  W. 
Oberlin. 

Dale,  Miss  Pauline. 
Oxford. 

*Barber,   Miss   Alta   May. 
Youngstoivn. 

Bonnell,    Mrs.    Henry. 

Bruce,  Miss  Amy  G. 

Ford,   Mrs.   John  S. 

Philips,  Miss  M.  Elsie. 
Defiance  College. 

♦French,  Miss  Mary  B. 

Whitney,  Miss  Flossie  E. 
Denison    University. 

*Blake,  Miss  Claude. 

Mather,   Miss  Ruth, 
Heidelberg    University. 

Bender,   Miss  Edna. 
Hiram  College. 

*Bartlett,  Miss  Mabel  L. 

Hofrichter,  Miss  Alice  C. 
Lake  Erie   College. 

Small,  Miss  Vivian  B. 
Miami  University. 

*Bayes,   Miss   Florence. 

*Bess,  Miss  Ada. 

♦Cokstore,  Miss  Helen. 

Hamilton,    Miss   Elizabeth. 

♦Heater,  Miss  Hazel. 

♦Long,    Miss    Charlotte    Mae. 

♦Mitobe,   Miss   Mona. 

♦Neukom,  Miss  Lisetta. 


Muskingum    College. 

Martin,    Miss   Elizabeth. 
Oberlin   College. 

Bennett,  Miss  Margaret  E. 

Fitts,   Miss   Helen   L. 

Wenk,  Miss  Fay. 
O/iio  State    University. 

Ayers,  Miss  Etta   C. 

♦Murphy,  Miss  Elizabeth. 

Postle,  Miss  Ruth  Ella. 
Ohio    Wesleyan   University. 

Betts,  Miss  Florence. 

♦Daugherty,  Miss  Blanche   C. 

Dow,   Miss   Florence   M. 

♦Fairbanks,  Miss  Nell  A. 

♦Feaster,  Miss  Ruthella. 

♦Haig,  Miss  Grace. 

Haman,  Miss  Mamie. 

♦Humphreys,  Miss  Beulah  I. 

♦Jackson,  Miss  Ruth  E. 

♦Leigh,  Miss  Blanche   Greeta. 

♦Marshall,   Miss   Ruth. 
Otterbein   University. 

♦Bolenbaugh,  Miss  Mary. 

♦Converse,  Miss  Helen. 

Gaver,  Miss  Margaret. 

♦Karg,  Miss  Ona. 

♦Meyer,  Miss  Gertrude. 

♦Potts,   Miss  Hortense. 
Oxford  College. 

Doerschuk,   Miss   A.   B. 

♦Fall,  Miss  Elsie  Brenton. 

♦Hang,   Miss   Helena. 

♦Renard,   Miss   Adele. 

♦Sherzer,  Miss  Jane. 

♦Struch,  Miss  Bertha. 
Western  Reserve   University. 

Sampson,   Miss   Helen   W. 
Wittenberg  College. 

Keith,  Miss  Abbie  L. 

♦Ott,    Miss   Grace. 
University  of  Wooster. 

♦Forman,  Miss  Agnes  M. 

'Visiting  Delegate 


List  of  Delegates 


201 


Magee,  Miss  Bessie  N. 
*Scott,  Miss  Kate  Frances. 
JVestern   College. 

*Cary,  Miss  Rowena  L. 
*Dye,   Miss   Mary   A. 
*Elmore,  Miss  Laura  E. 


*Houston,    Miss    Ruth   Elliott. 
*Jacobs,  Miss  Metta  A. 
*Keith,   Miss   Lucy  E. 
*Munz,   Miss  Viola. 
Sawyer,   Miss  Mary  A. 
Woodward,    Miss    Grace. 


Portland. 

Barnum,  Miss  Caroline  E. 


Erie. 

Cramer,  Miss  Maude  C. 

Davis,    Mrs.    L.    D. 
Harrisburg. 

*Egle,  Miss  Catharine  I. 
Lancaster. 

Robertson,  Miss  Edith  F. 
Neijn    Castle. 

Frantz,  Miss  Bertie  H. 
Philadelphia. 

*Baker,  Mrs.   Heaton  H. 

Horn,  Miss  Katherine. 

Jones,  Miss  Aida  A. 

*Moore,  Miss  Margery  J. 

Strauser,    Miss    Helen    K. 

*Wiggins,  Dr.  Susan  W. 


OREGON 


PENNSYLVANIA 


Pittsburg. 

Adams,  Miss  Charlotte  H. 

Cobb,    Miss    Ellen    V. 

*Crecelius,  Mrs.  E.  W. 

Douglass,  Miss  Katherine. 

McKillip,  Miss  Rebecca. 

Safford,  Miss  Anna  L. 

Stauff,    Mrs.    J.    H. 

Vance,   Miss   Harriet  S. 

Wells,   Miss   Virginia. 
Scranton. 

Penfield,  Miss  L.  S. 
Washington. 

Dillingham,  Miss  Laura  G. 

Swaney,  Miss  Alice   (M.D.) 
Wilmerding. 

Paull,  Miss  Frances  G. 


Providence. 

Farrar,  Miss  Lena  M. 
*Frink,  Miss  Mabel  S. 


RHODE    ISLAND 


Monoghan  Mills,  Greenville. 
Graves,  Miss  Clara, 


Slack,   Miss  Marie   Louise. 
*Taber,  Miss  Hope  A. 


SOUTH      CAROLINA 


Winthrop    College.    Rock    Hill. 
Downey,   Miss    Martha. 


Belmont   College,  Nashville. 
*Boland,   Miss   Pearl. 


TENNESSEE 

Masson,   Miss  Jennie  Taylor. 

*  Visiting  Delegate 


202 


Third  Biennial  Convention 


TEXAS 


Dallas. 

Everman,   Mrs.  John   W. 

Taft,   Miss   Eleanor   B. 
El  Paso. 

Stafford,  Miss  Mabel  K. 
adding  s. 

*Knox,  Miss  Helen. 


Houston. 

Masterson,  Mrs.  Harris. 

McGaughey,   Miss   Hester. 
University  of  Texas. 

Bosche,  Miss  Winifred. 


VIRGINIA 


Richmond. 

Armes,  Miss  Irene  Headley. 
Hawes,  Miss  Katharine  Heath. 
MacCorkle,  Miss  Constance. 


Randolph-Macon    College. 

Porter,   Miss   Mary. 


Seattle. 

Carpenter,  Mrs.  E.  J. 
Gage,  Miss  Frances  C. 
Lippy,  Mrs.  T.  S. 


WASHINGTON 


Spokane. 

Foster,   Mrs.  W.   H. 
Whitman    College. 

Penrose,  Mrs.  Stephen  B.  L. 


Wheeling. 
Kinney,  Miss  Inez. 


WEST    VIRGINIA 


Marshall  College. 
Painter,  Miss  Ocie. 
*Steele,  Miss  Eva. 


Beaver  Dam. 

McKinstry,   Miss   Harriet   J. 
LaCrosse. 

Dinsdale,  Miss  Tirza  A. 

Treeman,  Miss  Ivy  A. 
Madison. 

Boyd,  Mrs.  J.  M. 

Mayhew,  Miss  Abby  Shaw. 

Taylor,  Miss  Clara  I. 


WISCONSIN 

Milivaukee. 

*Knight,   Miss   Pearle  E. 

*Pearson,    Miss   Lucy   Helen. 

Reynolds,  Miss  Rosetta  M. 

Russell,  Miss  Hetta  M. 

Wolff,  Miss  Maud  M. 
Racine. 

Grant,  Miss  Ruth  Virginia. 
University    of    Wisconsin. 

Campbell,  Miss  Lily  Bess. 
*  Visiting  Delegate 


Important  New  Publications 


Report  of  the  Third  Biennial  Convention  held  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  April 
19-24,  1911. 

This  includes  the  addresses  delivered,  all  legislative  action  taken,  and  the  list 
of  delegates  in  attendance.  Price  75  cents. 

Yearbook,  containing  Directory  and  StatisticaJ  Report  of  the  Young  Women* 
Christian  Associations. 

An  outgrowth  of  the  former  Directory,  with  an  introductory  statement  of 
Association  work,  and  a  much  amplified  list  of  employed  officers  and  addresses. 

Price  50  cents. 
The  Good  Shepherd  of  Galilee. 

By  Elvira  J.  Slack.  A  reverent  study  of  the  Hfe  of  Christ,  in  a  twelve 
weeks'  course  with  daily  lessons.  Written  for  younger  girls,  and  exquisite  in 
its  simple  style.  Price  25  cents. 

The  Epistles  of  Paul. 

By  Edward  Everett  Nourse.  A  commentary  introductory  to  the  letters  of  a 
noble  and  devoted  apostle.  By  adaptation  of  the  outlines  and  review  studies 
it  may  be  made  serviceable  for  shorter  or  longer  courses.  Price  40  cents. 

Administration  of  the  City  Association. 

By  Emma  Hays.  A  thoroughly  comprehensive  leaflet  for  board  and  com- 
mittee members.  Price  5  cents. 

New  Student  Leaflets. 

The  Finance  Committee  of  the  Student  Association. 
By  Blanche  Geary.     Helpful  detailed  suggestions  on  the  organization  of  a 
finance  committee  and  the  administration  of  the  finances  of  a  student  Asso- 
ciation. Price  5  cents. 

The  Visit  of  the  Traveling  Student  Secretary. 
A  symposium  of  suggestions  for  preparation  for  and  use  of,  a  traveling  secre- 
tary's visit.  Price  5  cents. 

The  Association  Monthly. 

The  official  organ  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  published  every  month  of  the  year.  A  48-page  magazine 
with  the  following  departments:  General,  City  Associations,  Student  Asso- 
ciations, Foreign  Department,  Editorial  Department. 

Single  subscriptions  $1.00.     Special  rates  for  clubs. 

Association  Emblems, 

The  new  National  Seal  Pin. 
The  official  pin,  improved  in  workmanship  and  design. 

Price  $2.00.     With  safety  catch  $2.25. 

The  new  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Pin. 
Lettered  on  a  blue  enamel  oval.  Price  50  cents. 

Complete  price  lists  sent  on  request.    Order  the  above  from  the 
PUBLICATION    DEPARTMENT,    National    Board   of   the    Young   Women*   Chrutian 

Associations  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
125  E.  Twenty-seventh  Street  ......  New  York  City 


4872 

:2-~-9E    32182 


YB^B7 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


1    1012   01182   0844 


